


Please Don't Be My Valentine

by petvampire



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Camp Half-Blood, Cupid is a dick, False feelings, Jason is an idiot, M/M, One-sided non-consensual Percico, Post-Canon, Post-Gaia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-12
Updated: 2014-04-14
Packaged: 2018-01-19 00:43:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1448977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/petvampire/pseuds/petvampire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the year after they defeated Gaia, Nico has finally followed through on Jason's advice and come out to the few demigods he considers friends. They accept him for who he is, but he still always seems to be on the fringes of the camp, distant, a loner.<br/>Then Valentine's Day comes around, and Jason, in a misguided attempt to make things better, strikes up a deal with Cupid to try to find Nico love. Cupid, of course, does the exact opposite of what Jason intended, and hits Percy with an arrow - one that pushes him towards Nico.<br/>It's the last thing he wants, fake feelings from someone he cared about, from a person who he still cares about as a friend. So Nico and Jason have to take on a quest for Cupid to reverse the effects of the arrow, and Jason learns that what he was trying to push on Nico just might have been there all along.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> *falls headfirst into Jasico and never gets up*
> 
> Hey, guys! So this is my first real contribution to this gorgeous little fandom, aside from one little drabble written late last night. It's all about Valentine's Day and Jason being a well-meaning doofus, and there's a whole hell of a lot of mistaken feelings, drama, and mishaps involving Cupid being a big bag of dicks.
> 
> Just a general note, this is meant to be set well after canon, and we're assuming everyone lives through the battle with Gaea, Nico is at least sixteen, and everybody kind of hangs out at Camp Half-Blood or Camp Jupiter in turns throughout the year so they can chill with other demigods. Also, I love all of the lady demigods and the canon ships, so there will be absolutely no demonizing of Piper as a character - I just view her as taking time to explore possibilities, as a more polyamorous-leaning character. Aphrodite's brand of love isn't exactly exclusive, after all. 
> 
> That said... oh gods, let's see where this goes!  
> Unbeta'd; all mistakes are my own idiocy.

Nico dashed into the Hades cabin and slammed the door, plastering himself up against the back of it. He'd gotten a little less pale over the last year, a little less sickly, but right now he looked about the same shade as he had when he'd first gotten out of Tartarus: white as a sheet of paper, with dark, shocked eyes and an expression of sheer, unadulterated terror on his face.

“Percy Jackson just tried to kiss me.”

Hazel blinked up at him from where she had been curled on her bed reading. The news definitely came as a surprise. Nico had come out to all of the seven, and a few others he had cause to trust, but as far as she knew, only she and Jason knew what exactly had led to his discovery of his sexuality. His crush on Percy was old news, something that she had thought had died down over the years. It certainly had never been reciprocated.

Apparently, up until now.

“Any particular reason _why_?” She kept her voice calm, as though that would help to ease Nico's obvious nerves. Her brother had never been particularly comfortable with casual contact, either, and this... probably wasn't helping. He looked badly shaken, and with good reason.

“No idea.” Nico shook his head, retreating across the room, like he was looking for some dark corner to melt into. He was seriously considering shadow-traveling into the abyss again, after that. “It doesn't make any sense. We were just training, showing some of the newer campers a couple of sword moves, and all of a sudden-- I almost cut his ear off,” he added, looking guilty and sheepish. His crush might be a thing of the past, but he didn't _hate_ Percy. Or want him to come to any harm. “I think he's gone crazy.”

Hazel's brows furrowed, lips curled into a frown. That definitely didn't sound like normal behavior. Given, stranger things had happened, since they were in a camp full of Greek demigods, nymphs, and satyrs, but...

“Do you think the Aphrodite cabin is up to something? I mean, it _is_ Valentine's Day. Maybe they put something in the water.”

Nico paled even more, if that was possible. He looked like one of his summoned ghosts, like a pale, panicked specter of himself.

That was right. February fourteenth. He'd forgotten.

Or, to be more accurate, he had put it out of his mind.

Nico didn't like Valentine's Day. After an up-close and personal experience with the _actual_ Cupid, he was pretty sure he didn't want anything to do with any version of him. Greek, Roman, little cherubic baby on a greeting card... The last thing Nico wanted to do was draw his attention. So yeah, he had kind of ignored it, even though the various couples around him had probably been bringing it up for weeks, talking about their plans, none too subtly asking if he had any. Some people were way too interested in finding out if he had someone to share it with, if he was hiding another crush or having some secretive liaison. Piper hadn't been among them, though.

“I don't think it's Aphrodite's kids. Piper has them pretty well in check.” Ever since she had taken over as head counselor, which had happened long before Nico had come back to Camp Half-Blood, a lot of the relationship meddling that had been so common before had been stopped. There were still some gentle nudges in the right direction, advice given, that sort of thing, but making and breaking couples was no longer a sport for the children of the love goddess. Piper wouldn't have stood for this sort of thing.

But Hazel was right about one thing: this wasn't normal behavior.

Nico had long since resigned himself to the fact that his crush was never going to amount to anything. Percy had Annabeth, they were happy; they had survived Tartarus and Gaia and grown even closer. He was glad for them, honestly. He was happy enough that Percy was alive and _okay_ , and so he'd let go. Old feelings, ones he'd developed as a kid, had been allowed to slowly dissipate. Yeah, the idiot son of Poseidon would always be important to him, in a way, but he'd never expected anything.

He'd never told Percy, for just that reason. He didn't want it to seem like he had any expectations, any kind of pressure on the guy. That would have been unfair to him, to both of them.

So why... ?

He raked both hands through his hair, nervous and on edge and yeah, more than a little bit upset. If this was some kind of joke, it was a messed up one. He didn't know how Percy would have found out, or why he would be acting like this even if he had; someone else had to be meddling. That was the only possible explanation.

Hazel got up, touched his shoulder. He could trust her with close contact; she was his sister, she was one of the few people he could trust with everything. Jason finding out about things had been an accident. Hazel had been the first person Nico had _chosen_ to talk to. “It'll be all right. I'll find out what's going on, okay? Just... maybe stay here.” Squeezing gently, she let him go, leaving the cabin and closing the door firmly behind her.

Nico sank down on his bed, head in his hands.

Like this idiotic holiday hadn't been bad enough already.

~

This had not gone as planned.

Honestly, Jason hadn't been a hundred percent sure that there was really any actual plan in mind, when he had come up with the idea. It wasn't like he could assume gods, even minor ones, would actually do what he asked them to. He might be a son of Jupiter, but that didn't mean he had a whole lot of authority when it came to making divine requests. It had really just been a hope, more than anything. An attempt to do something nice for a friend, to make his life just a little bit better.

Clearly, he should have been a bit more specific.

He hadn't really done much. Just made an offering with a particular god in mind, one thought going through his head: _Help Nico. He deserves to have someone, especially this time of year. Help him find love._ He'd pictured white wings and a bow and arrow, the face of the form of Cupid that they had met once, over a year ago. After everything he had put Nico through then, he figured the guy owed him one.

Apparently, the god didn't agree.

Jason wasn't sure whether Cupid just held a particular grudge against Nico di Angelo, or whether he had a twisted sense of humor, or what. All he knew was that things had gone very, _very_ wrong.

Because Percy Jackson, hero of Olympus, son of Poseidon, praetor of the Twelfth Legion and normally incredibly, utterly devoted to his girlfriend Annabeth, was currently mooning around outside the Hades cabin, singing lovesick power ballads.

That... was not good.

And he wasn't just talking about the terrible singing.

He wasn't sure how long Nico had been holed up in the cabin avoiding the lovelorn demigod currently stalking him. Jason had heard the stir that had been caused earlier, a training session interrupted when Percy had, out of nowhere, lunged for Nico in a face-first, supposedly romantic kind of manner. There had been too many people watching for the news to _not_ spread across the camp in about thirty seconds. Since then, matters had only gotten worse. Much, _much_ worse.

It was a good thing Annabeth wasn't actually here at the moment, because Jason got the feeling she probably would have killed Percy. The daughter of Athena could be quick-tempered, and even though she'd probably be more concerned about figuring out what was happening, he wouldn't put it past her to knock her boyfriend over the head with a shield first. And once she figured it out... Jason was good with combat, but he didn't think he would honestly stand a chance.

This was his fault. He didn't for a second believe it wasn't. Cupid was about the only one capable of making someone act like this; well, and maybe Venus, but Piper had more than once mentioned that her mother was bizarrely invested in some of the demigod couples. Percy and Annabeth were one of them. She enjoyed putting them through difficulties, yes, but this was a little much even for her – especially since one half of the couple wasn't even here to witness it. It wasn't her style.

No, this was definitely Cupid's doing. And by extension, Jason's.

He just wasn't sure how to fix it.

He was still gawking fairly helplessly at Percy's antics when Hazel found him. The daughter of Pluto did not look remotely pleased, which wasn't much of a surprise, considering what her brother was going through right now. Hazel was incredibly protective of Nico, and vice versa; messing with one sibling meant messing with both, which meant that Jason was going to have yet _another_ angry female demigod coming after him once he admitted what had happened. At least Hazel was less likely to actually kill him.

“Do you have any idea what's going on with Percy?” The question was blunt, direct. “I already talked to Piper; the Aphrodite cabin is clueless.” That didn't surprise him. Piper had put a stop to all emotional meddling. She was one of the few children of Aphrodite who believed in love for love's sake, not because it made good entertainment. Jason had always appreciated that about her; when they had been together, and even now, when they were still important to one another, but no longer quite so exclusive. She wouldn't have let anything like this happen.

Maybe he should have talked to her first.

He couldn't help but look guilty, and Hazel caught on immediately, her eyes narrowing. “Jason, what did you _do_?”

_~_

“ _What_?”

The anger of a child of Hades was always just a little bit frightening, and this was no exception. It didn't help that the interior of the Hades cabin was decked out in a sort of creepy dark metal, Halloween-y death motif that Nico had picked out when he was about twelve. There were skulls on the walls that seemed to all be glaring at him, a slight tremor in the ground like skeletons were about to erupt from the floor and drag Jason down to the Underworld. That was assuming Nico didn't get to him first.

He had always been a little impressed by how _terrifying_ Nico could be when he put his mind to it. Whether it was a part of his power or not, the pale, gaunt boy should not be capable of looking like he would bring down the entire camp around Jason's ears. He held his ground, though, definitely feeling guilty, but not about to run, either. He'd messed up; he was going to own up to it. That was what a good soldier did – or a good friend.

“I told you, this is _not_ what I meant to happen.” Jason stood at attention, the old Roman habits hard to get rid of after they'd been ingrained into him for so long. “I made a mistake. I was just trying to help-- “

“By contacting a god you know _hates_ me? No one asked you to meddle in my love life, Grace,” Nico retorted acidly, with a sharp, disgusted gesture of one hand. “And look where your _help_ got us.”

To say that Percy's antics weren't welcome was an understatement. Nico had been reduced to hiding in his cabin, the only reason he didn't just shadow-travel to Antarctica because he needed to figure out just what the hell was going on. The overblown confessions of undying love were not only _not funny_ , they weren't _Percy_ . That wasn't his style. _Someone_ was meddling.

Someone like _Cupid_ , apparently. And not just because he was bored on a day when he, of all the gods, should have been distracted. Oh, no; it was because Jason had _invited_ his attention.

How someone who had once been considered a good enough leader to be raised to praetor could be so _stupid_ was beyond him sometimes.

“What, you don't appreciate my intervention?” The voice was a too familiar one, for Nico – low and rich, with the faintest hint of a threat, like a distant storm. That voice still showed up in his nightmares sometimes, mocking him; he'd faced Tartarus, faced _Gaia,_ and this guy was _still_ the scariest thing he could imagine.

He leaned against a column in the far corner, white wings folded behind him, bow and quiver slung over his shoulder. There was a look of amusement in his blood red eyes, a smirk that said he was very much enjoying the chaos he'd created. Outside, as if in response to his presence, Percy launched into a horrendously off-key rendition of “Unchained Melody”. Nico cringed, then shot a murderous glare at Cupid.

“Fix him.” It was usually unwise to demand things of gods, but he was just angry enough to do it. He was also seriously tempted to call up an army of the dead to rip the bow-toting jerk to shreds, but that hadn't worked too well for him last time. “You've made your point, now put him back to normal.”

Cupid chuckled, a low and dangerous sound. “I can't do that.” He strode out of the corner, reaching as if for his bow; both Nico and Jason were instantly on the defensive, swords in hand, but the god only swung his quiver around, tapping fingertips against the side of it. The quiver itself was empty, not a single arrow to be seen. “I'm all out of ammunition, you see. Even Love needs a rest sometimes.” He smiled, but there was nothing of actual pleasure in it; it was just slightly threatening, like everything else about him. As he had made clear many times, this wasn't the soft, romantic ideal of Love. This was the tempestuous side, the dangerous side. The one that demanded suffering and sacrifice before anything could come of it.

“All you need to do is find me an arrow. Then I can restore your friend. But think hard, Nico di Angelo; this will be no simple task. Is it truly worth the risk? Is this not what you've always wanted?” The smile grew, razor sharp. “You have three days, son of Hades. Then the effects become permanent. I would move quickly, if I were you.” Nico growled out a curse, shifting forward as if to attack, but in a flutter of wings Cupid was gone, leaving the cabin dark again, roiling with the feeling of death and fear and angry shadows.

Nico's grip tightened on the hilt of his sword; he would have badly liked to hurt something at that particular moment. But there wasn't time for that. Cursing quietly under his breath, he sheathed the Stygian iron blade, stalking over to his bunk. He didn't spend a great deal of time in the cabin here even now, so he was always ready to travel – always ready to run, in case he needed to. All he had to do was grab a few additional things, and he'd be more than ready to track down Cupid's arrow.

“You'd better get yourself ready, Grace,” he muttered as he dragged his backpack out, movements harsh and angry as he double-checked to make sure everything was still there. “You got us into this; now you're going to help me fix it.”

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

All Jason had to watch was Nico's back, the tense, angry set of his shoulders as he stalked ahead. The other hadn't stopped since they had left camp, hot on the heels of Cupid's challenge. Nico had barged out without a plan, without a heading, without stopping for anything but to tell Hazel to make sure Percy stayed there, to make sure he was okay. He didn't even tell her where he was going; he just said that he was going to fix this.

Then he'd started off over Half-Blood Hill, past the pine tree that had once housed Jason's sister's spirit, without a second thought.

Jason hadn't even considered not going with him. For one, he owed Nico big time for this; the _least_ he could do was fix things, make sure that what he'd done was repaired. For another, he wasn't sure it was a good idea to just let the other go off on his own. He already wasn't thinking clearly, and while Nico was plenty capable of protecting himself, Jason didn't want him to get stuck in a situation where he needed a second set of eyes, or someone to watch his back. Anger could make someone forget everything else, he knew that firsthand.

Not that he didn't think Nico had a right to be angry. He'd apologized as many times as he could manage, but he had yet to get any response other than some additional tension in the back of Nico's neck and shoulders. The other hadn't even _looked_ at him since they had left, and honestly, Jason didn't blame him.

This was a pretty big screw-up. Possibly one of the biggest mistakes he'd ever made. So fixing it was top priority; he didn't even consider the possibility that they might fail. Cupid wouldn't have bothered showing up and setting them a task if they weren't capable of doing it. He was just messing with them, making their lives miserable for a little while.

Jason never should have hoped he'd actually be helpful. Even after dealing with enough gods' machinations, though, he'd been optimistic.

Clearly the wrong choice.

“... where are we headed?” He didn't want to ask if Nico knew where he was going, knew where to start. He already had the son of Hades angry with him; undermining him might just piss him off more.

As expected, Nico tensed, as if the sound of Jason's voice alone was enough to make him angrier. He fully expected nothing but silence in response; it had been the same every time he'd tried to strike up a conversation before. When Nico finally spoke up in return, it was enough to startle Jason into stumbling, though he quickly regained his balance.

“Back.” His voice was tight, tense, like he was trying and failing to keep his anger restrained. “Cupid wants one of his damn arrows, and the only place I can think of to find one is his _lair_.”

“You want to go to _Croatia_?” Jason didn't hide his surprise. “I mean, yeah, I guess that makes sense, but can you-- “

This time, Nico whirled on him, stopping in his tracks to glare Jason down. He looked angrier than Jason had ever seen him, angrier than the first time he'd faced Cupid, than the multiple times afterward that Jason had tried to suggest that he talk to the rest of the crew, tell them what had happened. His eyes _burned_ , it was like looking into the depths of Tartarus itself, and Jason was struck once again with the reminder of why this skinny, scrawny-looking kid struck fear into the hearts of his enemies. It was impressive, honestly; he just wasn't a big fan of having that look turned on him.

“What, Jason? Can I _do it_? Is that what you were going to ask, am I _capable_ of it?” There was no attempt at restraint now, and his hands moved in broad, angry strokes, like he would have punched Jason if he'd been close enough, but wasn't willing to actually cross the few steps between them, start that fight. “Just because I'm not a _son of Jupiter_ doesn't mean I'm _weak_. I can handle it.”

“That's – that wasn't what I meant,” Jason argued, brows knitting into a frown. “I know you aren't weak, Nico. I've seen you fight. You shadow-traveled halfway across the world with the Athena Parthenos; I _know_ you can get us anywhere we need to go. That isn't what I was going to say.” He raised both hands, palm-out, in a placating gesture. “I was going to ask if you can stop and think about this for a minute. Talk to me, see what we can figure out. I don't think Cupid would make it that simple; he said this wasn't going to be easy for you. He knows what you're capable of. If it was just a matter of getting across the world to fetch an arrow, that wouldn't be at all hard, not with your abilities. So... “ He suppressed a sigh, knowing this probably wasn't going to get him anywhere, “I think we need to stop and discuss a plan.”

“No.” Nico's retort was flat, hard. Jason looked utterly taken aback at how quickly he shut him down. “I don't trust your judgment, Grace. After this? No. We're doing this my way.” He shot Jason another glare, then extended a hand. “Now shut up and hold on. We've got a long way to go.”

~

Nico prided himself on his ability with shadow-travel, had learned to control and expand his reach, to be able to go practically anywhere. It had been a while since he'd attempted such a long jump, though, and he'd forgotten the toll it took. They made it to Croatia, _barely_ , a few miles outside of the spot in Salona to which the West Wind had so unceremoniously taken them. The moment they reemerged into the light, he knew he'd miscalculated, overestimated his capabilities. If Jason hadn't grabbed him, he would have fallen.

He shook the other's hand off irritably, straightening. Even at full strength, without having needed to exhaust himself on fighting through Tartarus or helping in any battles for the fate of the world, that great a distance had him feeling a little bit like he'd been run over by a herd of centaurs. It was pretty much sheer stubbornness keeping him upright at the moment, but he refused to stop. They didn't have _time_ to stop. Three days was _nothing_ , and he was _not_ leaving Percy the way he was right now.

He _couldn't_.

Jason's hand closed around his shoulder again, making Nico realize that he'd been listing sideways, trying to walk forward but mostly just staggering, not really getting anywhere. “Nico. _Nico_ , you've got to _stop_ .” His voice was thick with worry, and he was hovering over him despite Nico's attempts to push him back, not letting go. He seemed to be afraid that the son of Hades actually _would_ collapse if he released his grip for a second.

… actually, he might not be wrong about that. His face swam a little in Nico's vision before clearing up, that same worry cast in sharp relief in his expression.

Nico shook his head, but it was a weak movement. “We can't afford to stop. Percy... “

“Has three days, and honestly, even if we don't find this arrow in time, I don't think this will be permanent. Poseidon will probably have something to say about another god affecting his son's mind, and probably Aphrodite won't be too happy, either. And we _have time_. You need to sit down before you fall down.” The words were firm, not quite an order, but definitely showing signs of it. “You're not going to do anyone any good if you're too exhausted to fight. If this is where the arrow is, there will _definitely_ be something protecting it. You need to be ready for that. Okay?” His voice softened a little. “Just rest for an hour or so. Then we can keep moving.”

A low, argumentative huff left him, but Nico couldn't actually manage more than that. After a long moment, he slumped, letting out an exasperated sigh. “Fine.” He raised his head, looking around for the first time since they'd actually arrived.

He had a knack for finding places to emerge from the shadows where he wouldn't attract attention, so they hadn't showed up in the middle of a crowd or anything like that. This part of the Croatian countryside was rich with ruins; these were less well-preserved than the ones they'd seen last time, but still faintly familiar, hints of Roman architecture evident in the bits and pieces still standing alongside the road they had ended up on. It didn't seem like a path too often traveled, which was just as well. The sudden appearance of two demigods wasn't likely to cause any kind of a stir.

There was a low stone border wall around what had once been a small house that was still mostly standing, two walls leaning into one another at the corner. It looked sturdy enough, and it was a place to get out of the road, at least. Nico nodded at it, and Jason made a murmured sound of agreement, starting towards it.

It was immediately evident that following was going to be a little more difficult a task than he'd thought. The exhaustion had hit Nico hard, and he stumbled the moment he tried to take a step, legs feeling like they were going to give out under him.

Jason was there in an instant again, looping an arm around his waist to support him, and shooting the other demigod a hard look when it seemed like he was about to protest. “Don't complain. At least we're not flying this time,” he added with a lift of one eyebrow, recalling the last time they'd been in Croatia.

Nico shot him an anemic glare, but didn't argue. The truth was, he needed Jason's support to get to the ruins, though he pushed him away the second he could, sitting down heavily on the ground, back pressed against one of the stone walls so he could stay upright. “Happy now?”

Jason sat down opposite him, resting his gladius across his knees, just in case anything attacked them. The Doors of Death being closed and Gaia no longer mustering an army against them didn't mean that demigods didn't still attract monsters. Shadow-travelling here had meant they weren't in one place long enough for anything to pick up their scent, but now that they were stopping, they needed to be careful. “No. Rest. I'll keep watch.” He smiled, and it was thin, apologetic. “You can at least still trust me to watch your back.”

He huffed at that, but it wasn't much of an argument. Jason had screwed up, and badly, but... he was still someone Nico trusted. _Had_ trusted. He wasn't so sure anymore. But when it came to a fight, there was pretty much no one else who he'd rather have at his back.

So he let his eyes drop shut, mostly because he wasn't sure he could keep them open anymore. The moment they closed, he was out, slumping against the wall and slipping into a thoroughly exhausted sleep.

~

Jason watched in silence as Nico's breathing steadied into the slow, even patterns of slumber, relieved that he was actually getting the rest he clearly needed. He wasn't sure the son of Hades knew just how bad he had looked when they'd stepped out of the shadows; his skin had taken on that sickly pallor again, dark, bruise-like shadows around his eyes. He'd overdone it, and they both knew it, but he'd half expected Nico to push on despite that. It was probably only the fact that he physically _couldn't_ that had kept him from doing so.

It worried him. He had already known that Nico's anger was going to push him to recklessness, but he was concerned that the other was already letting it endanger his health. He might be capable of _amazing_ power, when it came down to it, but he'd burn himself out before it even become useful if he kept this up.

He didn't know for sure that the arrow wasn't going to be here, but he had a sinking feeling that this was just a distraction. Cupid had probably known that this would be the first place Nico would go. He wouldn't just leave an arrow lying around, not when it was clear he had something more in mind.

That made Jason angry, honestly. Hadn't the god picked on Nico enough? Making him own up to his feelings in order to claim the scepter of Diocletian, taunting him, tormenting him with his own fears about admitting them. Now he was right back to messing with Nico's head, and all because Jason had been stupid enough to ask him for help.

He should have just gotten Nico a card or something. That would have been a lot less of a problem.

Sighing, he shifted a little, getting more comfortable against the rocks at his back. His sigh was echoed by a deeper one from behind him, and Jason started, gladius in his hand in an instant, turning to rise to one knee, ready to leap into action.

He was met with the sight of a young man in worn jeans and a simple white shirt with straight dark hair and melancholy features, white feathered wings folded against his shoulderblades. A vine wrapped around his right arm, and a heavy silver cup dangled from one hand, though it was apparently empty.

“Who are you?” Jason kept his voice low, not wanting to wake Nico, but his suspicion was obvious. The man sighed again, and turned his gaze to Jason's; his eyes were as red as Cupid's, but they seemed far less threatening, more the color of a sunset sky than the bloody crimson of the love god. He bore a striking resemblance to Cupid, but where the other god's features were harsh, this man's face was seen as if through a soft filter, a distant, longing look in his eyes.

Slowly, he turned to focus on Jason, like it took a while for him to concentrate on anything. “Pothos.” Another sigh, soft and wistful. “You should know me, Jason Grace.”

The demigod's brows furrowed, and he stayed where he was, not moving to attack, but not wanting to relax his defenses, either. “Are you a friend of Cupid's? Because whatever you want, I'm not interested.”

“This is not about what my brother wants. Or what I want,” Pothos answered, his voice still sounding faraway, as though he could scarcely be bothered with the present moment. His mind seemed to be elsewhere, longing for something he had been parted from. “This is about what _you_ want, son of Jupiter. What you _yearn_ for.”

That struck a chord with Jason, and he got to his feet, tightly gripping the handle of his sword. “You're one of the Erotes.” Gods of love, sons of Aphrodite, brothers of Eros, or Cupid. The others were far less well-known, but Jason knew of their existence; they had been mentioned a long time ago, a side note in the varied histories that he had studied. Given that his experience with Cupid hadn't exactly been a pleasant one, he was not terribly inclined to trust another god so closely related to him. “I don't know what you're talking about. I'm certainly not yearning for anything.”

Pothos tilted his head, but made no move to come closer. He turned his cup idly, letting it dangle from between his fingers. “You are not honest with yourself, Jason Grace. That is unwise.” He flipped the cup back upright, tracing around the edge of it with the tip of his index finger. “Never lie to Love in any form; that is the first thing you must learn.” Slowly he extended the cup, eyes on Jason. “Drink, if you would see the truth.”

He frowned at the god, eyes flickering down to the cup. “I don't think so.” Pothos' hand did not move; he looked as though he might just stay there, offering out that silver chalice forever, regardless of what Jason did. Unlike Cupid, he wasn't threatening, wasn't attacking. This wasn't a fight, it was an offer.

Slowly, he lowered his sword. “Your word on the river Styx that this won't harm me?”

Another sigh. “I swear it by the river Styx, Jason Grace. It will neither harm you nor change you in any way. If you choose to drink, it will only help you to see.”

Swallowing hard, Jason finally nodded, and reached out to take the cup.

It was heavier than it looked, and not empty, as it had seemed to be not moments ago. The liquid that swirled in it was the deep red of wine, barely a swallow's worth poured into the vessel. Frowning down at it, Jason took a breath, and raised the chalice to his lips, letting the wine pour down his throat.

The first thing he felt was a sense of disappointment; the liquid had barely wet his throat. Instantly he wished for something more, and that feeling seemed to spiral outward, intensifying until his chest was tight with it, until he desperately longed for another drop of wine more than anything in the world. He saw, then, how Percy felt now, under the influence of Cupid's arrow, his desperation; saw how badly Nico longed to fix this, how much he yearned to assuage his guilt at the fact that a part of him had almost hoped that this was real, not some trick played by a cruel god.

And he saw, too, what _he_ yearned for. The way he kept trying, no matter the cost, no matter how often he was turned away, to reach Nico. How he had been willing even to run the risk of dealing with a capricious god if it meant somehow helping the other, somehow proving himself. How desperately he wanted Nico to consider him a friend, to accept him, to truly trust him. He longed for it so deeply it made his bones ache, all the air driven from his lungs with wanting.

Pothos took the cup from Jason's nerveless fingers, and suddenly he could breathe again. Now the winged god's melancholy made sense to him, and he watched him, stunned as the other gave him a sad, distant smile.

“You know you will not find my brother's arrows here?” Pothos said nothing of what he had to know Jason had seen, and the demigod was grateful for it. He nodded, still shaken, but trying to focus on the change of subject.

The god stood, wings fanning out slightly behind him, the chalice dangling empty from his hand once again. “Another will find you in Salona, if you still choose to let him follow that path. He will not help you.” He sighed softly, eyes already on the horizon again, distant. “If you are to find what you seek, it requires strength of the heart, not the head. Follow the one who loved most, and perhaps... “

Before he could finish his sentence, there was a slight sound behind him; Jason turned, and when he looked back over his shoulder, Pothos was gone. Biting down on a sigh, he returned his attention to Nico. The other demigod was stirring, already looking much improved. Maybe Jason's encounter with the god of yearning had taken longer than he thought.

“You okay?” Nico's brow furrowed slightly at the question, and Jason felt his chest go tight again for the thinnest moment, like a reminder of what he'd seen. Shaking it off, he extended a hand to help the other up, feeling a brief rush of relief when Nico took it. “Come on. We've got a long way to go.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Squee! Glad people seem to be enjoying this so far. It started out as a brief, random idea, and it's growing into a monster, so hopefully I can continue to keep everyone entertained.
> 
> Specific notes for this chapter: Pothos is one of the Erotes, and the god of sexual longing, yearning, and desire; obviously, I'm sticking more with the 'longing and yearning' part for the purposes of this particular part of the story. The rest will have to wait. <3  
> Also, I'm aware that technically the Erotes have no Roman counterparts, but again, for purposes of the story, it is assumed that Jason knows who and what they are.


	3. Chapter 3

Jason had insisted that they take the road to Salona, not shadow-travel any more than they had to, especially not since they were within a few miles. They hitched a ride on the first car that came along that abandoned stretch, sitting in the back of a truck bed as it rattled towards the ruins. Nico had to admit, he could use the additional rest. Short of mainlining some nectar and ambrosia, it was the best possible thing to restore him quickly to his usual self.

The other demigod didn't look quite like _his_ usual self, though. Nico wasn't sure how long he had slept – it couldn't have been more than an hour or two, since the sky hadn't changed too much – but he was pretty sure that _something_ had happened during that time. Jason looked kind of shaken, a little less sure of himself than usual. Nico didn't know if something had attacked them, or what; the other wasn't hurt, so clearly nothing had gone _that_ badly. Whatever it was, Jason was keeping it to himself, and Nico still wasn't in much of a mood to talk.

He got the unpleasant feeling that this wasn't going to work, that this wasn't at all where they needed to be, but still, he insisted on moving forward. Salona was the only place he could think of where Cupid might be hiding a random arrow, and if he wasn't... well, there had to be some clue here, right? He'd been here before. He was a god, he would know where Nico would look. If this idiotic quest was meant to let him prove himself, or whatever it was supposed to be doing for the love god, there had to be some chance of success. Otherwise Cupid wouldn't have ever given them time.

Not that he'd given much, anyway.

The truck rumbled to a stop, still about a half mile from the ruins they had been to before, and Nico stayed silent as he climbed down, while Jason thanked the driver for helping them. He was walking away almost before the car started again, Jason having to jog to catch up with him, which did give him a slightly vindictive flicker of pleasure. He would never actually wish the other harm – well, not _often_ , anyway – but minor inconvenience was the _least_ he could do after Jason had caused all this.

“You're still sure you want to do this?” It was a question Jason had asked more than once, like he had some idea that something worse than Cupid or his arrows was waiting for them. Once again, Nico let silence be his answer, and he heard Jason sigh behind him. “If you want, I can fly us the rest of the way. It might be faster.”

“I don't trust the winds here,” Nico pointed out; the West Wind served Cupid for the rest of his immortal life. Getting off the ground didn't seem like the best option if they wanted to follow _their_ path, not get flung wherever Cupid happened to want them to go. “It's not that far.”

He stayed silent as they wound through the old stone foundations that had once been a thriving town, following a mostly-intact road to the center of the ruins. This place had once been the home of Cupid, but it had been overtaken by mortals, and then fallen into disrepair. Nico seriously doubted that it was worth checking over every inch of the ruins themselves, and anyway, that would take more than three days.

The sun was sinking down on the horizon as they drew closer, and Nico, at least, was glad of it. The dark meant that he had more places to hide, more shadows to use if he needed to surprise an enemy. And there would be _something_ there he might need to fight against, he knew that in his bones. Jason was right about that, this wasn't going to be as simple as just traveling halfway across the world, grabbing the arrow, and getting back. There were always _trials_.

Gods, but he hated the gods sometimes.

At some point, Jason had pulled up beside him rather than following behind; either Nico was lagging, reluctant to return to the actual place he'd faced Cupid last time, or the other had sped up. As they made it to the center, to the broken column he remembered, the patch of brown, dead grass that had not yet regrown, the other demigod extended a hand, stopping him. “Someone's here.”

Nico looked up, drawing his sword.

The young man perched on the column looked a little like Cupid, but like a sad, wannabe version – drooping feathered wings in a somber grey, dishwater blonde hair cut in that same straight, blunt style, making a face like he was trying to be as menacing, and failing miserably. Only his eyes stood out in his nondescript features, a sharp, sickly acid-green that tracked the two demigods through the ruins with obvious dislike. “What do _you_ want?”

Jason spoke up before he could say anything, still holding up a hand, as if to keep Nico from rushing in and attacking. His gladius was in his other hand, though, so he was clearly ready for a fight, if it came to it. “We're looking for one of Cupid's arrows. Do you know if there might be one here?” His voice was careful, but Nico could hear the undertones of mistrust in it.

The man on the column rolled his eyes. “Oh, it's _always_ about him, isn't it? The great and powerful love god. Everybody wants to see _him_ , wants something of _his_ . No one ever comes to visit _me_.” His voice was grating, and Nico was struck with a powerful feeling of something – not anger, not quite, he had enough of that of his own. This was envy, sharp as a knife, deep-laid beneath the surface, cutting its way into his heart.

“Your arrow isn't here, anyway. _He_ doesn't just leave them lying around, you know.” It didn't come as much of a surprise to Nico, but the bitter disappointment hit him anyway, wrapping in between the tendrils of jealousy that were slowly weaving through his veins.

“Well, do you know where we could _find_ one?” Jason was doggedly persistent; it was one of those obnoxiously _noble_ traits of his. He could never let anything go. Nico prickled, wanting to bat away the hand still holding him back.

“Why would I know that? Of course, he never stoops to talk to the likes of me. He's too _powerful_ for that. Just because it takes his meddling to cause what I am... “ He sighed, and then turned his attention to Nico, lips peeling back in a delighted smile. “Oh, but _you_ understand, don't you? What it's like to be overlooked. For someone else to always be in the spotlight. They're always just so incredibly _good_ , aren't they? Better than you. But you should be that, you should be _them_. You know how that feels, don't you?”

“Nico, don't listen to him,” Jason insisted worriedly; he always sounded so utterly sincere, like he actually _cared_. Why would he, though? The golden boy, son of Jupiter, natural-born leader; the type of person everyone looked up to. Why would he ever so much as _deign_ to worry about a ragged son of Hades?

“Shut _up_ , Grace.” Nico turned on him, hand tightening white-knuckled around the hilt of his Stygian iron blade. Even the _sword_ marked him as an outsider, as different, as someone no one would ever respect or care for. “He's _right_.”

~

Jason backed up, keeping his gladius loose at his side, not wanting to raise a sword against a friend. His free hand was still open, palm out; now he was trying to ward off Nico, though, not keep him from rushing in without thinking.

He should have taken Pothos' advice, should have tried harder to convince Nico that this wasn't where they would find the arrow. He was very familiar with the son of Hades' stubbornness, though. He hadn't thought any argument would actually work. And he'd been right, but _this_...

He had been expecting some monster to fight, something dangerous, but something that they could handle together. He hadn't expected Nico to turn on him, especially not at the prompting of yet another lesser god.

It was more than just the words, he knew. He could feel the odd pressure coming off of this latest winged figure, too, but it didn't seem to have anywhere it could get a real hold on him. That was a good thing, as far as Jason could see. This guy might be able to make Nico want to fight him, but he couldn't make Jason fight back. He wasn't going to hurt a friend, not when he was being controlled by something else. No matter what.

Unfortunately, Nico wasn't exactly going to make that easy.

He could feel the telltale rumble in the ground as the son of Hades summoned the dead, could see skeletal hands breaking through the earth, dislodging the stones of the ruin's roads as they clawed their way up. “You don't want to do this, Nico. Whatever's wrong, we can _talk_ about it, okay?”

Nico shook his head, advancing, lips curled into a dangerous sneer. “Typical. Just because you're so used to everyone following orders, you think you can tell me what I do or don't want to do? You're not a praetor anymore, and you were never _my_ leader.” The grass at his feet was wilting and withering again; it was _not_ a good sign. “Don't act like you're too high and mighty, too _noble_ to fight me.”

Jason's grip tightened on his gladius almost despite himself, but he still didn't bring the sword up. “Stop it, Nico. I don't want to hurt you.”

The other demigod snorted, eyes glassy and filled with rage. “Right, because it would be _so_ easy for you to. _Everything_ is always easy for you – son of Jupiter, handsome, powerful... people are falling all over themselves for you. Just because you're _you_ .” He sounded bitter, not just angry, but _jealous_ , and suddenly Jason knew who they were dealing with. “You have everything you could ever ask for. Not like _me_.”

A skeletal hand closed around his ankle, and Jason stumbled as it jerked back, startled into bringing up his sword. There were four of the undead warriors surrounding him, and he knew for a fact that Nico could summon more, _many_ more, if he felt that he needed them. The darkness seemed thicker around them, shadows swirling like ink, and in the distance, the winged youth laughed from where he still sat on his column, green eyes balefully bright in the darkness.

Jason kicked the skeleton away, quickly summoning the winds, raising himself up just out of the undead warriors' reach. Nico cursed, and the ground trembled again, like he was about to summon something _bigger_ , just to bridge the gap. “Stop running and _fight!_ You've never been a coward,” he spat, the words somehow self-deprecating, like they were more of an insult to himself than to Jason.

“Listen to me, Nico!” There was a definite tone of desperation in his voice; he couldn't just fly away and leave the other demigod here, but he wasn't about to actually attack him, either. “This guy is messing with your head; just talk to me, okay, we don't have to fight-- “

“Yes, we do.” Nico slashed his sword through the air in an angry arc, and stones rose from the ruins, turning deathly sharp and shadow dark before pelting full-force at Jason.

Most of them he managed to dodge; one clipped him in the shoulder, and he lost his hold on the winds, tumbling back the six or so feet down to the earth, barely managing to land on his feet. Nico was on him before he could make another attempt to dissuade him, and Jason brought up his sword in defense, the Imperial gold meeting Stygian iron in a deafening clatter. Another peal of delighted laughter seemed to echo around them, and it was all Jason could do to stay focused.

He was besieged on all sides, Nico a furious onslaught at his front, the skeletal warriors moving slower, but no less deadly, around him. Jason had no shield, no other weapon, and no intention of actually fighting back against the son of Hades; all he could do was try to disable the skeletons while guarding himself from Nico's attacks. He kicked the legs out from under one of them, cracking a shinbone in the process, and literally disarmed another, the severed limb twitching on the ground and trying to claw its way back towards him. It wasn't enough.

The anger of a son of Hades was still a terrifying thing to behold, and Nico had only gotten stronger since the last time Jason had seen him really fight. He got through his guard more than once, the iron sword biting hard into his skin, leaving bloody furrows. They were glancing blows, but that didn't make them any less painful, and with enough of them hitting, he was weakening. Nico had to know that, and he kept on, a glint of madness in his eyes.

He gave no quarter, and this time when one of the skeletons pulled him down, Jason couldn't break its grip fast enough. He fell, and the other skeleton grabbed for his wrist; bony hands pinned him to the earth, and Nico stood over him, black blade an inch from his chest. “You make me sick. Everyone, _everyone_ cares about you, wants to make you happy, and _why_ ? Just because you were born _lucky_ , because your father is the king of the gods? You have _everything_ , friends, acceptance, _love_ , and _what_ did you do to deserve it?”

There was blood on Jason's mouth where one of the skeletal warriors had clipped him across the face, and he turned his head, spitting it onto the ground to clear it away before he tried to speak. “Nothing.” His voice was quiet, but level, and when he turned his gaze back to meet Nico's, it was solemn. “I've done nothing to deserve any of it. I know I've been lucky. Does that mean I deserve _this,_ though?”

Nico stared down at him, and Jason could see it, something in his expression changing just slightly. His real self rising to the surface, not the manipulated, intensified jealousy and envy that had been driving him. Jason took a chance, speaking again, softly: “You don't deserve it, either, you know. You don't deserve to be overlooked.”

There was a moment of tense, dangerous silence; then the son of Hades shouted, a sound sharp as shattering glass, and the skeletons crumbled to dust around him. Jason watched, wide-eyed, as Nico stepped away from him and melted into the shadows, only to reemerge barely a foot in front of the god still lounging on his column, sword at his throat. “Get out of here,” he hissed, the point of the iron blade digging into the winged youth's skin, drawing a line of golden ichor to drip down his neck. “And if you _ever_ come near me again-- “

The only response was a sudden flicker of wings, and the man disappeared, leaving nothing more than the stain of immortal blood on Nico's blade. The son of Hades slumped, dropping his sword, and Jason let his head drop back against the ground, relief and blood loss together overwhelming him, his vision slipping into darkness.

~

Nico hadn't felt this guilty in a long time. He had spent so much of his life running away, suppressing his feelings or hiding them, that he'd forgotten that there were other forms of cowardice. Being jealous of a friend, envying them what they had, was just as bad. Especially when a god manipulated him into _acting_ on that jealousy, into hurting someone he cared about.

He'd been angry at Jason this whole time, ever since the other had made the mistake of getting Cupid involved in Nico's life again, but a lot of that had been older bitterness. Jason had only been trying to help him; he _always_ tried to help him, and it had never made much sense to Nico. The other had always insisted that if Nico was just honest with people, just let them in, that they would be there for him just as much as they always seemed to be for each other, but he was so scared, so used to running away and keeping himself apart, to being some anomaly, that he hadn't been willing to really try. So he'd been jealous of Jason, who made friends so easily, who people looked up to. No one looked up to the son of Hades.

Of course, he hadn't exactly tried to change their view of him.

One of the ruined houses was still mostly whole, and Nico had dragged Jason there, careful of his injuries – injuries _he_ had inflicted, he reminded himself, with another bitter pang of guilt. He wasn't quite as frail as he seemed, but Jason was heavier than he looked, especially when he was knocked out and nothing but dead weight. Nico was grateful for the first aid supplies he was sure to carry with him, and he'd bandaged each of the wounds with exacting care before digging out a square of ambrosia, setting it aside for when Jason woke.

It didn't take long; Nico was just lucky he hadn't hit the other anywhere potentially more dangerous. The damage was mostly to his extremities, a number of cuts to his arms and shoulders, a few scattered over his sides and back, mostly from the skeletons Nico had summoned. He'd lost a fair amount of blood, enough that his clothing was still a little damp with it, but he would be all right. That didn't make it any better, Nico had still _attacked_ him, had tried to kill him, but... he would be okay.

He pressed the ambrosia on the other almost as soon as he saw Jason's eyelids flutter, heard the low groan that presaged his coming to. “Eat.” He couldn't even bring himself to say more than that single word; Jason didn't argue, just swallowed the small square, the effects of the food of the gods almost instantaneous.

He sat up, and Nico could feel those bright blue eyes on him, studying him. He didn't meet his gaze. “... it's okay,” Jason said after a long moment, his voice quiet and sounding strangely relieved. “It wasn't you.”

“I don't see anyone else out there summoning undead warriors to assault their friends.” Nico's own voice was bitter, his guilt obvious.

“I'm serious,” Jason insisted, leaning forward, putting a hand on Nico's shoulder, which he immediately attempted to shrug off. The other demigod didn't move, though, his grip firm. “You can't take responsibility when a god is messing with your emotions.”

“I _can_.” He finally turned to look at Jason, expression dark and angry, but not at the other demigod – at himself. “It didn't affect you. It wouldn't have affected _me_ if the emotions weren't already there. It's my fault, Jason; I could have _killed_ you, for something so _stupid_...”

“So talk to me.” Jason's gaze was level and serious. “Get it out in the open. It's easier for them to use things against you if you won't address them yourself; you know that.”

Nico let out a short, bitter laugh. “You heard what I said out there. I don't think I need to rehash it.”

“Maybe you do.” Jason went quiet for a moment; he squeezed Nico's shoulder gently, then let go. “... if it makes you feel any better, I don't think you have anything to be jealous of.”

This time, Nico snorted, clearly disbelieving. “Yeah, right. You're going to tell me you _don't_ live a charmed life? Aside from the fact that you've almost been killed a couple times, which is true of pretty much all of us, you've got everything. Respect, admiration, friends... someone who cares about you,” he added, quieter, hating himself for even admitting it.

It wasn't like he had a problem with Piper. He liked Piper; he was jealous of her, too, in a way, for being able to command so much affection from practically anyone, not that she would ever abuse her gifts like that. He was jealous of both of them for having each other, for having that kind of connection, that _love_. He would have given almost anything to have that, but who was going to care about him? He was a loner, who didn't really fit in at either the Greek or Roman camps. A son of the god of the Underworld, which meant people feared him, or at least thought he was creepy. People didn't make friends with the kid who summoned the dead and talked to ghosts; they steered clear.

Jason was quiet for a moment. “People care about you, Nico. Or they would, if you'd let them.”

“My sister and a few people who might be slightly bothered if I died aren't the same thing.” He shook his head, hugging his knees to his chest. “Everyone else has _someone_. Not just friends, but... more than that. Like Percy and Annabeth, Hazel and Frank... you and Piper.”

Again there was silence. He was pretty sure he'd caught Jason with that, but when the other spoke up again, it wasn't what he'd expected. “Piper and I aren't like that.”

Nico looked up, his expression caught between outright disbelief and mistrust. “I'm not blind, Grace. You two have been together practically since your first quest. Don't patronize me, I'm not an idiot.”

Jason shook his head. “No, I'm serious. It's... not quite the same as it was. Not anymore.” He sighed softly, running a hand through his hair. “She's a child of Aphrodite. She's never been one of the ones who thinks love is a game, but...”

Nico's brows furrowed. “Are you trying to tell me you two are broken up? Because I have a  _ lot _ of evidence to dispute that.”

“No. Not exactly.” Another sigh. “She wanted to explore her possibilities. Examine her options. There's too much to Piper for her to be bound to one person, at least right now.” Jason looked at the ground, slightly sheepish. “I still care about her, and she cares about me. That will probably always be there. But it's not... just she and I, these days.”

Nico could not claim to understand; now more than ever he was very aware of the fact that he had been born in a different time, when this kind of thing would have been unthinkable. Even in this day and age, it wasn't exactly the norm, even among people so diverse and unusual as a bunch of demigods. “Oh.” He could hear the shock in his own voice, and was immediately a little embarrassed by it. He was the last person on earth with the right to judge Piper's choices, or her and Jason's relationship.

It just caught him off-guard – to say the very least.

He was silent for a long moment until Jason's hand came out of nowhere, fingertips tapping his chin, startling Nico into looking back over at him. The other demigod smiled ruefully, dropping his hand. “Still jealous?”

Nico wanted to argue that it didn't go away so easily, but he couldn't bring himself to do it, instead he just shook his head numbly, dismissing the question. “I'm starting to think your life might be just as confusing as mine, sometimes."

Jason chuckled at that, once again sounding relieved, maybe just because he'd been able to startle Nico out of his bitterness and guilt. “You might not be wrong.” Shifting a little, he stretched, like he was making sure all of his limbs were still working. The ambrosia had done its work well, those wounds that Nico had cleaned but left without bandages already almost gone. He could only assume the deeper injuries that he'd covered were mending up just as well. “Well, we might not have found anything here, but we still have time. What's the plan?”

He hadn't even thought about that yet, the fact that they had come to a dead end. Letting out a low sigh, Nico shook his head. “Rest for the night. We'll figure something out in the morning.” If nothing else, they could track down the West Wind and demand answers from him. “Get some sleep. I'll take first watch.” His lips pressed into a thin smile. “I owe you that much, at least.”

Jason nodded, finding a mostly rock-free corner and stretching out, using the pack he'd been carrying as a pillow. His back was to Nico, but he could still hear it when the other demigod spoke, voice soft in the confines of the ruined house. “I meant what I said, you know. It wasn't just to stop you from skewering me.” Nico could hear the smile in his words, though even that gently teasing reminder just made him feel guilty all over again. “You've never deserved to be overlooked. And I never meant to make you feel that way.”

Nico bit his lip, curling tighter into himself. “Just go to sleep, Jason.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *squeaks* So excited to see that people are following this. I promise I'ma slam it out as quickly as possible, before the inspirational gnomes leave my head, because I don't want to leave any of you beautiful people wanting for a conclusion.
> 
> So! As usual, a note on my clearly very loose interpretation of classic mythology: the god depicted in this chapter is a combination of Phthonus, god of envy and jealousy, especially the jealous passions of love, and Zêlos, god of envy and rivalry.
> 
> Also, again, this is a fic in which there will be NO PIPER HATE, because I do in fact love Piper and her relationship with Jason in the series. Polyamorous!Piper is better explained in this chapter, I hope.


	4. Chapter 4

“You know, this isn't the safest place for you to be sleeping.”

The familiar voice startled Jason into awareness, and he groped for his gladius automatically before realizing that he recognized it. This particular speaker, at least, posed him no threat. Not this time.

He wondered for a moment why Nico hadn't warned him ahead of time, but a quick glance proved that the other demigod had fallen asleep still curled up in a tight knot propped against the wall. Between the shadow-travel and the fight, he had probably exhausted himself more than he realized. Jason should have noticed that.

Sighing, Jason got to his feet, stretching out slightly cramped muscles. He left the sword on the ground; out of all of the weird, winged minor gods they'd been running into lately, this was one he didn't have much cause to fear. “Good to see you again, Favonius.”

The god of the West Wind looked just the same as he had last time they had met, over a year ago; his sunset-colored wings were folded neatly behind him, and a basket of fruit dangled from one arm. “And you, Jason Grace. Want a pear?” The god seemed to be just as air-headed as he had the first time they had encountered him, something that Jason was honestly pretty grateful for. He'd had enough of Cupid's cohorts harassing them.

“I'm fine, thanks.” Turning his back on the god for the moment – he was fairly certain that the West Wind wasn't about to blow a gasket and assault them, or he wouldn't have bothered waking him – he crouched down next to Nico, touching his shoulder lightly. The son of Hades started awake, and Jason was quick to withdraw his hand; he was aware of and tried to be cognizant of Nico's issue with casual contact, but he kept trying to reach out. Like maybe one day Nico would just accept it and not jerk away. “C'mon, Nico, we have a visitor.”

The other demigod paled slightly upon glancing up at the wind god currently whistling absently to himself and spinning a bronze hoop around his finger, and Jason didn't blame him. Favonius worked directly for Cupid, after all, and last time, he had been the one to take them to him. This time, though, Jason was pretty sure his was a welcome face. Who else could they reliably get information from about where Cupid might stash his arrows?

Yes, he remembered what Pothos had said: _follow the one who loved most_. But that wasn't exactly a clear-cut direction for them to go in. They needed something more solid.

“Good morning, Nico di Angelo!” The West Wind's voice was rich with happiness, and he was beaming, despite the fact that the son of Hades looked like he would much rather take a swing at him than have a conversation. “It has been a long time.”

“So you haven't been spying on me anymore, then?” Apparently Nico wasn't a morning person, although Jason sort of got the feeling that he wasn't an _any time_ person where the West Wind or Cupid were involved.

Favonius' smile didn't falter. “I have looked in on you once or twice, for my master, but come now! Surely you did not expect to face Love only once?” Nico pressed a hand to his forehead, rubbing at the bridge of his nose, looking like he was muttering obscenities under his breath that the wind god didn't hear.

Jason interrupted, probably wisely, before this turned into a fight between the two of them. “Speaking of your master... “ It was better to ask now, before the West Wind got distracted. He could be pretty, well, _flighty_. “We're looking for something of his.”

“Of course.” Favonius bobbed his head sagely. “I know what you seek. It isn't here.”

“We sort of got that,” Nico muttered, audibly this time.

“ _But_ ,” the West Wind went on cheerily, as though the demigod had never interrupted, “My master has permitted me to bring you a clue: ' _Go from whence the river winds, there you will the lover find.'_ ”

Silence followed the wind god's sweeping proclamation. This time it was Nico to break it, tone obviously irritated. “That's _it?_ ”

“That is what he told me to tell you,” Favonius confirmed brightly. Nico let out an exasperated sigh, raking both hands through his hair.

Jason intervened again, despite the fact that he was no more impressed with Cupid's 'clue' than Nico was. “Thank you, Favonius. We appreciate your help.”

“Just doing my job,” the wind god retorted breezily in return, flashing them both a broad smile. “Now I'd get moving, if I were you. Only two days to figure it out, you know!” Grinning, Favonius turned on his heel, disappearing in a swirl of red and gold, leaving nothing more than a few rust-colored feathers and a slightly underripe pear in his wake.

Nico let his head drop back against the stone wall, shooting Jason a bleak look. “That's one of the least pleasant things I've woken up to. And I'm including being dragged through Tartarus and trapped in a jar for days in that estimation.”

Jason had to resist the urge to ruffle his hair; ever since the thing with Pothos, he'd noticed the instinct to reach out and touch the other demigod had grown greater. Maybe it was acknowledging the fact that he wanted Nico to accept that, or maybe it was some unknown effect of drinking that wine, but he was trying to keep it at least somewhat under wraps. Nico wasn't a touchy person, not with anyone but Hazel, and she was family. “It's not that bad. At least he didn't whisk us away or anything. And now we have something to go on.”

“A bad rhyme that makes no sense and gives us absolutely nothing about where to start looking? It's not much.” Nico shook his head, grabbing for his backpack and tugging out a couple of granola bars and bottles of water, shoving them towards Jason. “... are you doing better today?” His eyes flickered towards the bandages still taped to the places he'd been wounded, a brief shadow of guilt passing over his face.

Jason nodded, peeling back one of the gauze pads to show healthy, mended skin underneath. There was nothing to really be done about the bloodstains or the damage the sword had done to his clothing, but he was all in one piece. “I'm fine. Don't worry.” He took one of the granola bars, tossing the other back at Nico. “Eat something. I don't know where we should be headed yet, but something tells me it's not just around the block.”

~

“Did you have any idea there were this many rivers in Croatia?” They had made their way back into the central area of Split to find a map, to make some attempt to decipher the West Wind's clue. Jason was poring over it, but Nico wasn't so sure that it was going to be that simple. They had no way of knowing whether Cupid had even meant to indicate this country; _'from whence the river winds_ ' could be literally anywhere there _was_ a river. Jason was being optimistic, as usual, but Nico had his doubts.

He just shook his head absently, trying desperately to think of something else, some other potential clue or haunt of Cupid's he might have ever heard of. They had sat down at a cafe at Jason's insistence, the other demigod claiming that they needed to stop and make a plan before they went haring off. Nico was, for once, not inclined to disagree with him, though he could have done without Jason pressing him to eat something, like it was his his business to make sure Nico took care of himself.

It wasn't worth the argument, so he toyed absently with the remains of a muffin while Jason squinted at the map. Since Tartarus, or more likely, since having to resort to putting himself into a Death Trance, he'd found himself not needing a great deal of food to survive. There was no point trying to explain that to anyone other than Hazel, though, so he hadn't tried. Only another child of the Underworld would understand.

“Wait – I think I might have something.” Nico glanced up, raising an eyebrow as Jason tapped the map. “The Danube – it used to be a long-standing Roman frontier, back when it was still called the Ister.” He flashed the other demigod a sheepish smile, glancing up. “Sorry, my Roman history isn't what it once was. But it seems like as good a place as any to start.”

Nico's brows furrowed slightly. “The Danube goes through about ten different countries. How is that a place to start?”

Across the table, Jason shrugged, apparently undeterred by Nico's pessimism. “It's better than nothing. We can follow the river – _'from whence it winds_ ,' so probably back towards the source. It's a lot of ground to cover, but we can manage it. I think it'll be pretty obvious whether we're close or not, Cupid is not exactly what I would call subtle.” Nico nodded; he agreed with that, at least.

“One thing, though.” Now Jason looked sheepish again, and that made Nico uneasy. He gestured silently for the other to go on. “If we shadow-travel, we might miss something, even though we'd cover more ground. So... we're probably going to have to fly.”

Nico blinked, gritting his teeth. He hadn't exactly enjoyed the last time he'd been manhandled into the air by the son of Jupiter; he didn't have an issue with heights, but he was a lot more comfortable on the ground or under it then being flung around on the wind. Not to mention the fact that, like shadow-travelling, Jason's power required contact for him to bring another person with him. Nico wasn't a hundred percent sure he was comfortable with being carted around by the ex-praetor, especially not for an extended period of time.

But... Jason had a point. They didn't exactly have time to waste on Nico's discomfort.

Sighing, he pushed his plate aside and stood up, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. “Fine. Can we just get moving?"

Making the decision was all well and good, but it took them longer than Nico liked to find a spot where they could get off the ground without drawing too much attention. The Mist would mask them from any prying eyes once they were up, but finding a launch point was a little trickier. Nico didn't want to run the risk of attracting _any_ attention, human or otherwise.

He talked Jason into a short shadow-travel jump to the banks of the Danube, and from there they walked a little ways off from the river itself, where there was still too much traffic around for Nico's comfort. Finding a somewhat sheltered niche took still longer, but eventually they found a copse of trees that guarded them from view, but that was still open to the sky.

Now Jason was the one looking nervous, and Nico didn't entirely know how to take that. “You ready to go?” He had seen the son of Jupiter face down Titans and giants and _Gaia_ and not bat an eyelash, but _now_ he was looking uneasy. Not uncomfortable – more like he was worried about making _Nico_ uncomfortable than anything else, which was at once annoying and kind of flattering.

Nico sighed, trying not to roll his eyes. “Just get on with it, Grace. We're wasting time.”

Jason nodded, stepping up next to the other demigod and wrapping an arm around his waist. Nico slung his own arm over the other's shoulders, just for the added support; the last unwilling flight he'd taken had been a much shorter one, but he wasn't trusting Jason to just hold onto him the whole time for this. Gods only knew how far upriver they would need to go to find whatever obscure clue Cupid had hidden.

Their ascent was easier this time, a lot less sudden than just being snatched up off the ground like a mouse by a bird of prey, and Nico could actually appreciate the fact that Jason had this much control over the winds, this much ability to contain what was a pretty unpredictable source of power. Dealing with the dead was easy in its own way; they worked within certain patterns, answered to orders. Nico couldn't imagine dealing with something as unpredictable as this kind of force of nature.

It was surprisingly secure, too. Nico's impression of flying had been kind of obviously negative after that first unwilling experience, but this wasn't too terrible. Jason's arm was secure around him, the contact not quite as unwelcome as it once had been. He tended not to like being touched because he didn't trust people, but... he trusted Jason. Mostly. When he wasn't being an idiot.

“Keep your eyes open.” The caution was probably unnecessary, but Nico realized he'd been quiet for maybe too long, distracted by the movement of the wind currents around them and the sweep of the scenery below. His own eyes scanned along the river, determinedly not noticing Jason's quick, sidelong smile.

The arrow took both of them completely by surprise.

It was blunt, lead-tipped, but that didn't mean it didn't still _hurt_ when it struck Nico's shoulder, knocking him back. He felt Jason's grip on him slip, felt the other grabbing for the back of his jacket to keep from dropping him. “Down, put me down, before-- “

Another arrow whizzed past his cheek, just barely missing his face. Jason was quick to comply, taking them back to the ground in a series of short, stomach-roiling drops. Both of them had swords in their hands the moment their feet hit the ground, standing back to back, scanning around them for threats. “Who's there? Show yourself!” Nico's voice was hard, the ground giving a slight tremor as he searched automatically for dead to call upon, to raise to his aid.

“Your dead cannot help you here, Nico di Angelo,” a voice boomed from the distance, seeming to come from all around them. They had landed in an empty field, not a soul in sight, not even whoever was attacking them; Nico's grip tightened on his sword. That voice sounded horribly familiar, but there was something just slightly off about it, something different.

Another arrow struck the ground at his feet and burst into a shower of flames, making Nico start back, stumbling as he bumped into Jason. The other shifted behind him, automatically reaching out to steady him, and for once, the son of Hades was grateful.

“What are you, afraid of me? Come out and face me yourself!” Nico's voice sounded harsh even to his own ears, and the demand was met with a laugh, that rich voice echoing around him again, deafening.

“Are you so certain, son of Hades? You feared so greatly to meet my brother; you should have even more fear of _me_.” He laughed again, that eerily familiar sound, and then burst into view in a rush of wind.

Nico knew now why he had sounded so familiar. In appearance, he was nearly an exact replica of Cupid, but with longer hair twisted into a braid over one shoulder, and broad, plumed butterfly wings spreading in a rainbow array of colors behind him. In one hand he held a bow, a quiver of lead-tipped arrows slung over one shoulder; the other hand held a golden club, currently hefted menacingly in Nico's direction. “I am Anteros, Nico di Angelo, and _you_ have all the cause in the world to fear me.”

~

Jason wracked his mind for everything he knew about Anteros as he turned to aid Nico, knocking arrows out of their paths with a gust of wind. The god was a counterpart of Cupid's Greek form, Eros; that much he knew from the name alone, if nothing else. He wasn't the antithesis of Love, though, as his name might suggest. Not the opposite, but the other part, the answer to love if it was to prosper.

God of love in return, he realized, pushing a blast of wind towards the god. Who wasn't a big fan of unrequited affections.

“You who have pined so long for love would now _scorn_ it, Nico di Angelo? You would turn it away?” He fired another arrow that came within inches of hitting the other demigod; they might be blunt-tipped, but that didn't make them any less dangerous. “My brother did you a favor, son of Hades. He gave you what you have always wanted.”

Nico growled, deflecting another arrow with his sword, lashing out with one hand, stones rising from the ground to fly in a flurry at the god. “It's _not real_ . Even if it _was_ what I wanted, _once_ , I would _never_ want someone to be manipulated into having feelings they don't really have!”

Anteros laughed, flying in close, swinging that golden club in a dangerous arc; Jason dropped to one knee, grabbing for Nico's wrist to drag him down with him, getting him out of the line of fire. The other demigod yanked his hand away, but only to slam it down against the ground, another tremor going through the earth beneath their feet. He was clearly trying to call on the dead, but Anteros hadn't been lying; they couldn't get to him here. Something was preventing them.

“My brother _creates_ love, Nico di Angelo. What he has caused is as real as anything else. Still you would turn it away?” He swooped back, fired another arrow; this one caught Nico across the back of his sword hand, making him curse and drop his weapon, fingers gone momentarily numb.

“I would _never_ accept that,” he retorted hotly, eyes blazing with rage. “Cupid manipulated him, _forced_ him. I would never treat that as being real.”

“Then you will pay the price for scorning Love,” came the rumbling, threatening response, as Anteros vanished from sight once again.

He wasn't giving up, though; a hail of arrows seemed to come from all sides, the invisible god moving faster than the eye could follow. Jason could only deflect so many of them, and they both ended up getting struck more than once, the lead arrows hitting with bone-breaking force. Nico made a pained sound, one arm clutched close to his chest, scrabbling blindly for his sword, and Jason had all the time in the world to see the golden club swooping down out of the sky, straight at him.

He didn't even think. He just dove in front of him, calling the wind, lightning crackling in the air above him as he prepared to call it down. He didn't care if the god _killed_ him; as long as he stopped going after Nico. “Leave him _alone_!”

The moment before the storm broke, the moment before the club hit him, it disappeared, less than a hair's breath away from his face. He sucked in a sharp breath, thunder rolling overhead as he let the lightning dissipate through the sky above him, not directing it at anything.

This wasn't a real fight. It never had been, or Anteros would already have killed them. It was another test.

The god came back into view, hovering a few feet before them, a pleased smirk that was unpleasantly similar to Cupid's curling his lips. The golden club was gone, though his bow was still gripped loosely in one hand; he gestured absently with one hand, a swirl of warm wind – likely Favonius' doing – lifting the map from the bag Nico had dropped at the beginning of the fight.

“You prove yourself worthy, Jason Grace.” Fitting an arrow to the bowstring, he fired in a movement too quick to follow, pinning the map to the ground, the point flat against a place where two streams met at the head of the Danube. “That is your destination. Favonius will grant you fair winds and safe passage, but I would move swiftly. You are running out of time, and this is not the last trial you will face.” Smiling, almost benevolent, he disappeared again, in a swirl of brightly colored wings. Jason stayed tense and alert for a moment, and then slowly lowered his sword.

Nico was pale on the ground behind him, staring at Jason and the map in equal measures of confusion and suspicion. “What-- why-- “

He shook his head, turning to crouch down next to him, looking him over. One wrist looked like it was broken; he grabbed Nico's backpack and dug out the first aid kit he knew had to be there, since his own wounds had been bandaged after their last fight, and a square of ambrosia that he immediately handed over. “Just gods messing with us. We can talk about it later, okay? We know where we're going, now. Just let me get you patched up, and we can get moving.”

For once, the son of Hades didn't argue, though his brows stayed knitted into a frown as Jason carefully set the bone, wrapping the wrist and hand tightly with bandages. A break wasn't going to heal as quickly as the shallow sword wounds he'd dealt with had, but Nico would be fine. It wasn't his sword hand, anyway, so he would still be capable of fighting.

Nico drew his hand away once the break was suitably set, holding it stiffly close to his chest, reaching out with his other hand for the map. “Where is he telling us to go, anyway?” He tugged at the corner, but the arrow had driven well through the map, point buried in the dirt, keeping it where it was pinned.

Jason moved back to look at it, squinting a little to read the text. “Donaueschingen. It's a town in the Black Forest, Germany.”

The other demigod exhaled, nodding. “Okay. Just... give me a few minutes, and I can get us there.” His expression was tight, like he was expecting an argument. “Now that we knew where we're going, it's faster to just shadow-travel. I don't trust the winds.” With good reason, after this, despite Anteros' assurance that they would be given safe passage.

Jason just nodded. “You're right.” Frowning, he rose to his feet, sheathing his gladius at his belt again. “Stay here and rest for a sec, all right? I'm going to try to get an Iris-message back to camp, check in on things. I'll be right back.”

He didn't wait for a response, just strode off, back towards the river. There wasn't a lot of cover around, but there was a slight dip in the land as it sloped back down towards the Danube, and a cluster of large rocks by the water. That was where Jason went, making sure he was well out of sight and earshot from Nico; it wasn't more than a second before he heard a faint flutter of wings behind him, just as he'd expected.

He turned on the god with a glare, having to fight not to reach for his sword. Cupid lounged indolently against one of the stones, returning his gaze with an arched brow. “Is there a problem, son of Jupiter?”

“Enough. If this is all just a _game_ to you, then just stop. You've done enough to Nico, okay? I'm sorry I bothered you, I'm sorry I asked for anything from you, I'll make that up however I can, but just _stop_. Leave him alone. You've screwed him up enough already, you don't need to keep _testing_ him.” Arguing with gods usually wasn't a great idea, but Jason had had enough. He was sick of seeing Nico have to go through this; it was his fault, the other demigod shouldn't be the one suffering for it.

Cupid regarded him with amusement, though it still held a dangerous edge. “So very worried for your friend, aren't you? Nico di Angelo can handle himself without your intervention. He has faced me before; he knows what must be done.” He smiled, thin and razor-edged. “But this is not just his test, Jason Grace. And I think you know that.”

With a faint flutter of wings, he was gone, and Jason cursed, hands balling into fists at his sides.

He had known it from the beginning, or at least a part of him had. This had been his doing, so it didn't make sense for it to be Nico who had to go through everything to fix it. The gods were capricious, and could be cruel, but they had their own peculiar sense of justice, of right and wrong. Cupid wasn't doing this to get to Nico, or at least not entirely. He was doing it to get to Jason.

But _why_?

Pothos had come to him, not Nico. He had given him a way to see the truth of a part of himself he'd been ignoring, to acknowledge how deeply his attempts to build some kind of a bridge with Nico went, how much they affected him. Phthonus... okay, _he_ had gone after Nico for real, forced him to acknowledge his jealousy, but the aftermath had also made Jason open up to him more, admit something else he'd been trying not to talk about, how things had changed with Piper. And now Anteros, the god of requited love who had given up the fight the moment Jason had been willing to risk himself for Nico; he'd been spouting all of that stuff about Nico scorning love for not returning the fake affections Cupid had caused in Percy, but Jason didn't think any love god worth his salt would really believe that.

This had never been about Nico.

At least, not about Cupid _messing_ with Nico. That had probably just been icing on the cake for the love god, but never the real goal.

He slumped against one of the rocks, not sure what to do. This was a lot to take in – his mind was still spinning around all of it, trying to avoid the inevitable conclusion. Trying to protect him, though it was doing him more harm than good to not just admit it. He had gods on all sides trying to push him to realize it, but it wasn't that easy.

Okay. So he maybe he cared more about Nico than he had been willing to acknowledge; that was why he had spent so much time and effort so desperately trying to get the other to trust him, to regard him at least as a friend. To know that Jason accepted him no matter what, and to somehow hope that Nico could do the same for him. He'd doubted himself ever since actually stepping down as praetor, since giving up the Roman life and discipline that had been a part of him for so long. He'd wanted someone to understand that, to know that and still care about him for what he was, not because he was a leader of a praetor or a son of Jupiter.

Nico had never only seen him as those things. He had been the first person the other had opened up to about his sexuality, even though it hadn't exactly been by choice; he had slowly come to at least acknowledge that Jason was at least his ally, if not his friend. He might have envied him for the life he'd had, but he had never really held it against him, not until a god had sort of forced him to.

So yes, Jason had trusted him. Cared about him. Done everything he possibly could to try and elicit that same response in return, even up to the point of doing something reckless and stupid just because he wanted to somehow make sure Nico was _happy_.

But that didn't mean...

“Jason?” The other demigod's voice broke into his train of thought, and Jason started, turning to see Nico coming down the hill towards him, already looking better, though his bandaged wrist was still held awkwardly at his side. “Could you find out anything?”

“Uh... no,” he shook his head, frowning and walking away from the cluster of rocks. “Couldn't get a hold of them, something must be interfering. You doing all right?” Nico shot him a slightly wary, disbelieving look, but nodded. Jason forced a smile. “Good. Then let's get moving. No time to waste, right?” He extended a hand, trying to ignore the way his pulse sped with new knowledge when Nico grasped his wrist, tugging them into the shadows.

The son of Jupiter had just encountered something he didn't know how to handle.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, INCREDIBLY excited that people seem to be enjoying this. Trust me, I am intent on getting it wrapped up in a neat little bow for everyone before too long - IT WILL BE DONE. Many thanks for all of the comments and kudos, I appreciate the support. <3 Hopefully everyone is still enjoying this.
> 
> This chapter's featured god is yet another of the Erotes (are we noticing a pattern? Ssshhh), Anteros, god of requited love, and the punisher of those who scorn love and avenger of unrequited love. Oh yeah. He's fun. xD And of course, the triumphant return of Favonius, the West Wind. Good times.


	5. Chapter 5

They emerged, according to the map, about a mile outside of Donaueschingen, in the midst of the Black Forest. The jump wasn't quite as long as the last one he had attempted, not enough to knock him out quite so badly, but after the fight with Anteros, Nico was definitely feeling a little fatigued. The ambrosia was slowly mending his wrist, but he was still tired, still more than a little bruised. Those lead-tipped arrows had _not_ been pleasant.

He sagged a little as they stepped out of the shadows, for once more than willing to accept Jason's support, but the other demigod pulled back as though he had been burned, stepping away from him to look around. Nico frowned at his back; Jason had been acting a little weird and jumpy since even before they'd dealt with Anteros. After that...

Well, he could definitely understand why the other might be a little out of sorts. That whole deal with the god had been a little off, to him; it had obviously been meant as some kind of trial, but he didn't understand _why_. What point was there to making him fight back against a god insisting that the effect of Cupid's arrow on Percy was something he should be grateful for, other than to make him angry? And why had Anteros relented as soon as Jason had stepped in? Maybe he'd just been afraid of getting scorched with lightning. Jason had been a second away from calling down a storm, he had seen that. It had been both impressive and a little scary. Nico was well aware that he could hold his own, but the power of a son of Jupiter was nothing to scoff at.

Shaking off his confusion, he glanced around, finding a large, spreading spruce tree and sitting down underneath it, leaning his back against the trunk with a sigh. The sky was darkening again, heralding the end of the second day; they only had one day left to finish this, but he didn't even know what they were looking for here, even if it was where they were supposed to be. Something or another would show up to either attack them or guide them, if the pattern they had been working off of held true, and Nico trying to barge forward as night fell wasn't going to make that happen any faster. He might as well give himself time to heal fully, get back to full strength to face whatever was waiting for them, whatever was protecting the arrow they needed. “We should rest for a while. I don't know what we're supposed to be looking for, and I don't want to end up finding it if I'm still unprepared.” He nodded down at his broken wrist as if in explanation, like Jason really needed it.

The other demigod frowned, but nodded, sitting down silently a few feet away. Nico sighed and swung his backpack around, digging through it one-handed to toss another PowerBar Jason's way. He grabbed a bottle of water for himself, taking a slow sip, still watching the other through narrowed eyes.

“... are you all right?” Nico had to ask, after too long a stretch of tense, uneasy silence. He might not be the most conversational person on the block sometimes, but usually the quiet between him and Jason had been comfortable, almost companionable. There was something wrong now, he could tell.

“I'm fine.” Jason was rarely that brusque, either, which made Nico even _more_ convinced that he was hiding something. His expression darkened, and he set the water bottle down, dropping his backpack next to him.

“Don't start that with me.” Nico's voice was hard, just the slightest touch of hurt underlying it. “How many times have you told me to open up, to trust you, trust the fact that you're a friend and won't judge me? You were the one to call me out on hiding from things. Is that just a one-sided deal?” He glared at the other. “You once trusted me enough to drink poison without hesitation. If there's something going on, I need you to trust me enough to tell me."

Across from him, Jason tensed; that was even more telling. Finally he let out a sigh, shaking his head. “It's nothing important, Nico. I just... I think I might know who we're looking for.”

The son of Hades didn't even half believe that was what had Jason so out of sorts, but he was willing to let it slide for now, if only because if Jason _did_ know what they had to deal with, that was also something he needed to know. “Okay, so tell me. It can't be worse than Cupid.”

Jason nodded, relaxing a little, though he still looked tense and worried. In as few words as possible, he outlined his encounter with Pothos and what the god had told him, though he was clearly omitting more than he was telling. Nico glowered at that, clearly no more pleased that Jason had kept _that_ from him. “If I had thought it would get us anywhere, I would have mentioned it,” the other demigod insisted, clearly defensive. “He gave us even less of a clue that what Favonius told us. It didn't make any sense at the time. Now, though... “

Admittedly, Pothos' words were not exactly helpful, either, but he thought he saw what Jason was getting at. “Psyche. You think we're supposed to be finding Psyche.”

“It's the only thing I can come up with that makes sense.” Jason sighed, shrugging his shoulders. “I don't think Cupid _wants_ this whole thing to fail. So of course he'd entrust the arrow to someone he knows will keep it safe, who he knows we'll find.” _'The lover,' 'the most loved'..._ It did make sense, in a typically cryptic kind of way. Nico could follow that.

What he still didn't get was why Jason seemed so sure that Cupid was trying to make them succeed. The god wasn't exactly _giving_ . Yeah, he'd left them clues here and there, but in the process of getting them, they'd gotten incredibly off track, he'd nearly murdered Jason, and he had ended up with a broken hand and quite a few bruises. They had practically no time to spare, and no _real_ directions – vague clues and a location that was a few miles wide didn't give them a lot of specifics to go on. He wouldn't really call that rousing support of their efforts.

“Okay. So we're looking for Psyche,” he allowed, tilting his head back against the tree. “Now, you want to tell me what's really going on?”

Jason had relaxed a little, maybe thinking that Nico was going to give up the conversation after that. Now he almost jumped, shooting the other demigod a quick, worried look. Nico understood. Usually Jason was the one doggedly trying to get the other to talk, and he was a lot more friendly and careful about it, despite his persistence. It must have come as a surprise to have the tables turned on him, and Nico didn't do 'nice' terribly well. He just cut straight to the point, blunt and straightforward.

“Nico... “ Jason looked like he was going to argue, then shook his head, staring at the ground. There was something much less assured about him, his posture slightly slumped, withdrawn. Not the usual praetorian, son-of-Jupiter attitude that Nico was used to. When he spoke, it wasn't an admission, though; it was a question, maybe an attempt to change the subject. “If you hadn't known it was Cupid messing with things... I mean, if the whole deal with Percy had been real – not the singing, that was ridiculous, but the feelings, the rest of it – would you have wanted it?”

The son of Hades went silent, absolutely floored.

~

Nico looked completely taken aback, and Jason didn't blame him. The question had tumbled out without his thinking about it. He had just been trying to deflect attention from talking about what was really on his mind, the confusion that he was still trying to work through, but that was _not_ what he had meant to say.

Part of him had to know, though. After everything, after the things he was just beginning to figure out, he had to find out. If Nico still had feelings for Percy... the other had claimed a long time ago, when Jason had first found out, that he was past it, but it had been obvious that wasn't true. Now, more than a year later, was he still harboring that old crush? Or had he really moved on?

 _Could_ he move on?

Nico's lips pressed into a tight, angry line, and Jason could see the rage and hurt mingling in his eyes. “Is _that_ what this is about?” His voice was harsh as a crow's caw, sharp and so, so angry. “What, do you think that I'm going to try to strike a deal with Cupid once we have the arrow? Do you think I'd let somebody live with forced feelings for me and delude myself otherwise, pretend it's actually something real? Are you worried I'll screw up this quest on purpose because of a crush I had when I was _ten_?”

“That's not what I-- “ Jason's attempt to defend himself was quickly cut off, interrupted by Nico's enraged tirade.

“I've told you before, I'm past that. I've _been_ past those feelings. And in case you weren't _listening_ , I had a _god_ firing arrows at me trying to get me to accept what had been ' _gifted_ ' to me, and I told him the same damned thing. I don't have feelings for Percy anymore, and even if he _hadn't_ been manipulated, I don't-- I wouldn't-- “ His voice broke, sharp and bitter. “And if you think I ever _would_ have accepted that, you never should have come with me. You never should have _done this_ to me.”

Jason felt the overwhelming rush of guilt, and he couldn't help it; he started forward, grabbing Nico's good hand, not letting go despite the other's attempt to shove him away. “I didn't mean to-- that isn't what I meant, Nico, I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to-- “ He didn't think he had ever felt quite this bad with words, quite this inept at getting out what he was trying to say. “I don't think that, I _didn't_ think that. I know that's not you, that's not something you'd ever do. I just... “

Nico glared at him, hand balled into a fist under Jason's, his gaze ice cold. “ _What_ , then? What _did_ you think? Why would you ask that? What _possible_ reason could you have for trying to pry into my love life in the first place, for that matter?” The shadows around him were roiling, seeming even darker than usual; honestly, Jason was surprised there weren't skeletons crawling out of the ground all around him, that was how angry Nico sounded.

He swallowed hard, struck again by just how dangerous the son of Hades could be. Jason had seen him lead hordes of undead soldiers into battle, had seen him summon shadows and speak to ghosts, but none of that was quite as frightening as just this: that sharp, shattered-glass anger that just barely masked the fact that he'd seriously screwed up, had hurt the last person in the world he had ever wanted to.

Jason had been raised a son of Rome; had been raised on tenets of bravery and forthrightness, had been trained to face his problems head-on. This, everything with Cupid and the rest, had confused him enough to make him retreat, to show more cowardice than he ever did, trying to hide.

It wasn't him, and it wasn't _working_. It was long past time he did what he best knew how to: face his problems. It was time he owned up to his mistakes.

 _All_ of them.

“I wanted you to be happy.” The words were blunt, honest, nothing held back. He raised his eyes to meet Nico's, holding his gaze. “The whole time I've known you, you've always been withdrawn, miserable. When I found out _why_ , I thought just being there for you, accepting you, would be enough to help with that – but it took almost a year to even convince you that I wasn't lying about that, and that other people would accept you, too, if you just told them. I didn't know if you were still just afraid of being rejected, or if you still had feelings you didn't want to admit to, but I wanted... I thought maybe if you had someone, it would make it easier. It would make you _happy_.” He frowned, gaze dropping momentarily. “I didn't think it was going to end up like this.”

He could feel Nico studying him; the shadows were still swirling around the other, making it obvious that his anger hadn't totally dissipated. Jason could understand that. But at least he'd been honest. He was still holding something back, but it didn't matter right now. He still didn't even know how to explain it, and it wasn't important. Not for this. Not when he just needed to make sure Nico knew he wasn't trying to screw up his life, to make sure he knew that he could still trust Jason.

The silence was almost painfully tense; finally the shadows gave way, and Jason just then noticed that there had been the slightest, almost undetectable tremor in the earth that had just now halted. “You're an idiot, Grace,” Nico snapped, but he sounded less enraged than he had before, just a normal level of anger. “You should have _asked_ before you meddled in my life. I would have told you I didn't need you trying to set me up with anyone. I didn't _want_ that.” His voice was flat. “Just because I'm not _with_ anyone doesn't mean I'm _miserable_. I'm not... it's not that bad.”

His voice faltered a little, but Jason didn't call him on it; he just nodded, still guiltily looking at the ground. “It was stupid, I'm not denying that. But I definitely didn't mean for it to hurt you.”

“Next time, maybe think before you act,” he muttered, shaking his head, some of the angry tension going out of him. “And Jason?”

“Yeah?”

Nico looked pointedly down at where Jason's hand still rested on his wrist. “Let go of me.” Jason quickly withdrew his hand, and the other demigod let out a low sigh, tilting his head back against the spruce again, either too tired to argue, or not caring to pursue the matter further. “... just get some rest. We're supposedly safe, with the airhead of the West Wind looking out for us. We'll find Psyche first thing in the morning, and get this done with.”

Jason nodded, relieved that he wasn't asking any more questions. He was pretty sure he could handle Nico being angry at him better than he could admitting to feelings he still wasn't sure of. Acknowledging his own idiocy was definitely enough honesty for one day.

But he was definitely going to need to think, because no matter what he wanted, he was pretty sure he knew how this was going to end. Cupid had forced Nico to own up to his feelings before he'd handed over the sceptre of Diocletian, something they'd desperately needed; Jason wouldn't be remotely surprised if Psyche demanded the same thing before she handed over the arrow. One thing was sure, though: he wasn't going to let Nico down again. He'd messed up badly enough with this. He didn't want to give the other demigod any more cause to distrust him.

Turning his back to Nico, he stretched out on his side to try to sleep.

~

Nico watched Jason's back as the oher demigod settled down, torn between wanting to punch him, and wanting to shake him, tell him that for all his idiocy, he still appreciated that he'd only been trying to help. Not that it made him less of a moron, obviously, but... some part of him couldn't help but be a little touched that Jason was  _that_ invested in his happiness, that he'd do something so thoroughly reckless to try to ensure it.

A little touched, and a  _lot_ confused.

He'd been confused from the start, actually. Reckless wasn't what Jason  _did,_ normally; that was more Percy's style, or Leo's - even Nico's own failing more often than he liked to admit. Jason had been trained up in Roman law and order; just because he'd been raised by wolves for the first few years of his life didn't mean he had ever lacked for discipline. The only times Nico had seen him be impulsive or reckless was when lives were at stake, when his friends were in danger. He was driven by protectiveness then, by an emotional instinct that overrode even Roman training.

So what had driven him this time?

It wasn't like Nico had been in such a bad state that he'd needed an intervention. He wasn't  _miserable_ , despite what Jason seemed to think. He was... reserved, yes, and he still didn't trust too many people, but there were a few he considered close, considered  _friends_ . He had Hazel, of course. And the rest... well, Nico was used to impossible crushes and unreciprocated feelings, by now. He'd just pressed them down, refused to even acknowledge anything that might stir. Being made to confront his crush on Percy by Cupid hadn't made him any more open about new feelings that might have arisen. Stubbornly, he had just buried them even deeper, refused to even acknowledge their existence.

Maybe that didn't exactly make him  _happy_ , but he had learned to live with it.

Either Jason was a lot more perceptive than he seemed, or he had some insight into Nico that other people didn't. Even Hazel hadn't ever bothered to try to figure out what was wrong, or to make it better, although maybe she just didn't want to pry or push. Jason had done nothing  _but_ push, albeit in the most friendly way possible, ever since he'd found out – pushing for Nico to tell the rest of the seven, to trust him, to believe that he meant well.

So maybe this was just a greater extension of that, or maybe...

_Don't even think about it_ . It was the litany that always went through his head whenever those thoughts popped up, the idea that maybe someone who seemed so intent on being his friend might possibly want something more, that a person who seemed so invested in his well-being might actually care about him. At first, it had been easy to rationalize it; Jason had Piper, after all. The daughter of Aphrodite, practically an incarnation of true, devoted, unfaltering love. Except now, with what Jason had told him about the nature of their relationship...

_No_ . Thoughts like those were dangerous, for one; completely  _stupid_ , for another. Jason was a good guy; he did things to try to help his friends just because that was what he  _did_ . It didn't mean anything. It never had, and it never would.

Curling around his backpack, Nico closed his eyes, pushing the thoughts down and away. All that mattered was finding Psyche and the arrow and fixing things. Then they could let this go, never talk about it again.

That was all he expected. There was just no other possible way for this to end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahahah oh man, this is a hella introspective feelings chapter, in which Jason is a tactless doof and Nico is an angry panda with denial issues. Hey, we've got to mess with them before we can make them happy, right?
> 
> Also, of course, the goddess mentioned in this chapter is the lovely Psyche, goddess of the soul and wife of Eros/Cupid. More on her in the next chapter, which will be, barring a massive epiphany or a case of severe long-windedness, the final installment of this little tale.
> 
> Hope my readers are still enjoying it. <3


	6. Chapter 6

As it turned out, they didn't need to look too hard to find Psyche.

When Jason woke, an aura with the same sunset-gold coloring as the West Wind's wings was standing over him, tugging at his sleeve. She beamed down at him when he stirred, and his heart dropped; this was definitely the last leg of their journey, which meant he was exactly where Cupid wanted him. That thought made him more than a little uneasy.

Like the previous morning, he woke Nico himself rather than letting the wind spirit do so; the other demigod jerked away from his touch almost the second Jason's hand landed on his shoulder, making him feel even worse. This wasn't going to end well, contrary to what the love god seemed to believe. Maybe he hadn't done this just to be cruel, as they'd initially suspected, but he wasn't doing anyone any favors, either. He certainly wasn't as infallible as he seemed to think.

“I think we have an escort,” was all he said, nodding in the aura's generally direction. Nico's gaze darted from Jason to the wind spirit, eyes narrowed, and he just nodded, slowly collecting his bag and getting to his feet.

Jason could see without even asking that his wrist had finished healing during the night, the bandages still wrapped around it superfluous now, after the ambrosia had taken effect. Nico picked absently at the bandages as the aura floated in front of them, clearly waiting on the demigods to get ready; then she just smiled at them cheerily, and without a word, floated ahead, apparently expecting them to follow. They had to dodge around trees more than once, since the aura drifted straight through them, apparently heedless of the fact that the people following her had more solid forms. Clearly she was a relative of Favonius'.

Most of the aurae Jason had encountered before had been chatty, but this one seemed far more interested in guiding them ahead than conversing with them. It was only as she led them into a clearing, gesturing forward with an airy grace, that she spoke, voice light and sweet. “Lady Psyche will see you now.” Then she was gone in a swirl of warm wind, drifting up into the air to flit among the clouds or whatever it was aurae did in their spare time.

The clearing was just that: not a palace, not some grand supernatural scene, just a grove ringed by spruce and pine, open to the morning sun. A low stone bench was placed beneath one of the broad, spreading trees, and on it sat a woman.

At first glance, she didn't look like anything unusual. She had long, dark hair in a thick braid down her back and wore a simple white dress, the design neither modern nor ancient, but some timeless combination of the two. When she turned her head to look at them, though, Jason could immediately see why even Venus had been jealous of her, why the god of love himself had felt such a pressing need to claim her as his own. She was beautiful; not the shifting, careful perfection of Aphrodite when he had met her, matching the viewer's ideal of beauty, but simply beautiful in her own right. Her face was breathtaking, with liquid dark eyes and a small, gentle smile.

“We meet at last.” The smile grew, ever so slightly. “I've heard a lot about you, Nico di Angelo, Jason Grace. Come, please; sit with me.”

Behind him, he could almost _feel_ Nico bristling, could hear the shift as the other demigod's hand fell to his sword. “We don't have time for games. We just need the arrow.”

Psyche tilted her head, a touch of confusion in her gaze. She didn't seem as arrogant or self-assured as the other gods Jason had met, but then, she had been human once; maybe she still remembered what it was like, not to be an immortal. “I'm not trying to play any game.” Her lips twisted into a slight, perplexed frown. “... you don't know, do you?”

“Know _what_?” Nico's voice was taking on those harsh, angry tones again, the ones Jason was too familiar with, so he interjected quickly, trying to make sure they didn't anger the one person who seemed to be actually interested in helping them.

“We don't know anything other than that we were given three days to retrieve one of your husband's arrows to make sure a friend of ours goes back to normal. This is day three, and we'd... sort of like to make sure we make the deadline.” He sounded faintly apologetic; out of every god they had faced, Psyche actually seemed nice, almost normal. Kind of strange, considering who she was married to.

“Ah.” Psyche nodded, as though that made a great deal of sense to her. Raising a hand, she beckoned, no power behind the gesture; just quietly inviting. “Please, put your sword away, son of Hades, and sit. There is much we must speak of, if you are to fulfill your task.” There was something imploring in her voice, and Jason glanced back over his shoulder at Nico, an almost pleading look. If they didn't cooperate, he wasn't sure what they'd do; it was pretty certain they wouldn't end up getting the arrow.

He wasn't exactly looking forward to this, either. Something to fight might have been easier. But Psyche wasn't quite as bad as dealing with Cupid or one of the Erotes again, so he'd take what small mercies he could get.

Nico huffed, but he eased his hand away from his weapon, stalking stiff-legged towards Psyche. The goddess raised a hand, and another aura appeared in a swirl of gentle wind, carrying a small pile of cushions that she deposited on the ground before disappearing again. Psyche gestured gracefully for them to take their seats, and Jason settled uneasily on one of the pillows, seeing Nico sit just as awkwardly a foot or so away from him.

Psyche waited until they had gotten as comfortable as they were going to before speaking again, her gaze level and even as she regarded both of them. “My husband told me what he did to spark this quest; the infatuation he caused in your friend.” Nico shifted beside him, and Jason could see without even looking at him the expression of anger on his face. “His arrows are capable of that, yes, an intense and temporary madness; when they are used to their true purpose, though, they are meant for something far more.” Her gaze settled on Nico. “You should know, son of Hades. You have been pricked by one before.”

Both demigods were stunned into silence by that; Jason remembered it, with a clarity he hadn't thought himself capable of. Being unable to stop an arrow from getting to Nico, the point sinking into the other's sword arm before dissolving, no blood or any sign of a wound left behind. He had assumed it was just another trick of Cupid's, meant to disarm and terrify. He had never thought it was one of _those_ arrows, hadn't thought it would have any effect other than hurting the demigod.

“ _Why_?” Nico's retort sounded like it was dragged from him, ragged and angry and scared. He sounded younger, the same as he had when he had faced Cupid the first time. “What have I done to deserve this? Why do you have to keep _torturing_ me?”

Psyche's brows furrowed, and she leaned forward, reaching out as if to comfort the other. Nico drew back, and she frowned before straightening, elaborating further. “I know that my husband can be... capricious. Cruel, at times, to toy with mortal hearts. But love is not meant to be a torment; the arrows are not fired out of malice. Most of the time,” she added a touch sheepishly, acknowledging the fact that there were definitely times in history when Cupid's arrows had struck targets just to cause trouble, usually at the prompting of Venus or Jupiter or another of the Olympians. “It was not meant to hurt you, Nico di Angelo. It was meant to guide you. To give you hope, and a chance. You lost a great deal of love with your sister's death, and it was not restored by the feelings you harbored for Percy Jackson. You were struck because you deserved the chance to let that love grow again, and prosper.”

“And it's done a _brilliant_ job of that,” Nico growled, apparently not swayed by Psyche's placating tone. He got to his feet, looking like he was about to just run, to melt into the shadows and disappear, heedless of the consequences. “Fine, you've told me all about your husband's attempt to _help_ me. How about you _actually_ help me now, and just give me the arrow, so I can fix my friend and get on with my life without you all _messing_ with it?”

Jason was on his feet as well automatically, ready to follow after the other demigod; he couldn't catch him if the other retreated to his shadows, but he could at least _try_ to keep him from leaving. He shot a desperate glance back at Psyche, and the goddess gave him a look of utmost sympathy, and then spoke again. “You already have the arrow.” Nico stopped at that, spine stiff, shoulders tense. “All you need is someone to draw it out.”

~

Nico turned back to Psyche slowly, every muscle in his body screaming with the urge to run. Like it wasn't bad enough to know that he'd apparently been singled out to have the most impossible crushes in the universe every time he had the misfortune to care about someone; now he was supposed to believe that it was _deliberate_ , that Cupid's screwing with his life was supposed to be some noble attempt to _help_ him? He was walking around with one of Cupid's arrows buried in him, apparently, and it hadn't done him any damn good. If anything, it had just _poisoned_ his love life, effectively preventing him from ever even _having_ one.

He glared at the goddess; her oh-so-caring act was plucking at his nerves, making him even less likely to listen to her advice. “And how, exactly, is _that_ supposed to work?” His voice was low and dangerous, not quite threatening, but close. He would rather be fighting an army of giants and Titans again than dealing with _this_.

Psyche remained unmoved, her voice still gentle as she spoke. “The arrow can be withdrawn by the one for whom it was intended.” Her tone was soft, patient, but her eyes were steely as she met Nico's gaze, stern. “Just because it struck you does not mean that you were its only target.”

He tensed even more, hands balling into fists at his sides as Jason shifted uncomfortably beside him, shooting a worried look back at the goddess. What that was about, he didn't know; he was too wrapped up in his anger. “Really. So what is this, some kind of fairy tale riddle? Am I supposed to scour the world for _true love_ and somehow find it before the day is over and my friend's feelings are skewed forever? Is _that_ what you expect of me?” He took a step forward, a hand falling to his sword again. “I have _had_ it with being sent on wild goose chases, on having my life _manipulated_ , I'm not-- “

“Nico.” Jason's voice was soft, barely audible, but something in it cut straight through his own words, making him stop short, turn wide-eyed to the other. He met Nico's gaze, and his eyes were dark and unreadable, a mixture of fear and confusion and that old, immeasurable sadness on his face. “I think I can do it.”

At that, Nico just _stopped_ . He couldn't even wrap his mind around it; he didn't know what Jason was saying, for a moment, and then once it finally clicked, he couldn't believe it. He shook his head, taking an involuntary step back. “Don't. Don't act like just because you got suckered into this godly attempt to ruin my life, it makes you _obligated_ to act like there's something there. You're not... “ His voice trailed off, brow creasing, lips twisting into a frown.

He was _afraid_. Afraid that Jason was serious; afraid of what that might mean.

The other demigod let out a slightly bitter laugh, shooting him an incredulous look and shaking his head. “Obligated? Are you serious?” His response was quiet, undecided and, yes, definitely afraid. The same fear Nico was feeling. “Are you never going to learn to trust me, Nico? Because you, of all people, should _know_ that I would never do something like this just because I was _obligated_ . I do it because I _care_ .” His brows furrowed, he extended a hand; Nico could see the slightest tremor in it, the faintest physical expression of that fear. “This was never just meant to test _you_.”

And suddenly, he understood. Cupid had made him jump through hoops just to force him to acknowledge a childhood crush, though on a greater level that had meant making him admit his sexuality so that he could stop hiding and being afraid of it and coming to accept it, no matter how slowly. All of this stemmed from Jason trying to request something from the god of love; some of the trials they'd faced might have been meant for Nico as well, but the rest...

He stared at Jason numbly, understanding, now, the real reason why the other had gotten distant, the reason he had been uneasy, unsure. Nico had been like that once, too; he knew that confusion intimately, although his had always been accompanied by anger, at himself for being different, at the rest of the world for not accepting him. Jason had been the first one to accept him, to force him to realize that he needed to accept _himself_.

He understood that fear, too, knew the look of it so well that he could identify it without thinking. It wasn't fear of being scorned or pushed away, the fear Nico still harbored; Jason was sure enough in himself and optimistic enough about others not to worry so much about that part. It was fear of being rejected. Fear of his feelings not being returned.

“At least let me try.” Jason smiled sadly. “If it doesn't work, hey, at least you know.”

Mutely, Nico nodded, and took the other demigod's hand.

Jason didn't pull, didn't tug him closer or anything like that; he just stepped forward to close the distance between them, frowning absently as he brought his free hand up to Nico's shoulder, tracing along his upper arm like he was trying to find the exact place the arrow had sunk in. He shot a quick look over his shoulder at Psyche, like he was trying to ask for more specific instructions; the goddess just nodded encouragingly, and Jason bit his lip, turning his attention back to Nico.

He thought they both felt it when he found the right spot; a thick tension in the air, like a storm boiling around them, though it had nothing to do with the son of Jupiter's power. Nico tensed, and he saw Jason's eyes close as the other concentrated, not sure what to do, just trusting to his instincts.

The feathered end of the arrow appeared, half-transparent and flickering, like it wasn't really quite there; Jason grasped it, able to get a hold on it like it was something solid, and _pulled_. The shaft slid free, and Nico winced. It wasn't a comfortable sensation, and it was slow going, until the arrowhead finally reemerged from his flesh, the arrow itself becoming completely solid.

It didn't stay that way; Nico raised a hand in warning, but the arrow shifted in Jason's grip, gouging into the other's palm and dissolving, melting away the same way it had when it had first hit him. “Ow,” the other demigod muttered, although as before, the arrow left no blood, no visible wound on either of them.

The arrow's disappearance would have bothered him more, since they'd come all this way to get it, if not for Psyche's smile. Nico turned just slightly to glance at her, lips pressed into a tight line. “... we never needed that arrow to put Percy back to normal, did we?”

“Your friend's emotions returned to their usual state the moment you left the camp.” Her smile grew just slightly wider. “He is under the impression that someone spiked his drink with some sort of short-lived love potion meant to embarrass him, and the rest of the camp have been convinced that that is the case.”

“Great.” He turned back to Jason, meeting the other's eye; some of the fear dissipated, giving way to something else – something like hope. “Does that mean we're free to go?”

“Whenever you wish.” Psyche rose to her feet, and smiled at them both, looking like nothing so much as an affectionate mother. “You have done well, Jason Grace, Nico di Angelo. I will see to it that my husband does not meddle with you again.” With that, she turned on her heel, melting into the wind as easily as the aurae had.

Nico barely saw it; all his attention was on Jason, and on the fact that the other's hand was still tightly gripping his own. “... we need to talk, don't we?”

“Absolutely.” Except then Jason was smiling, a look of obvious affection and relief, and leaning across to close what little space remained between them, lips finding Nico's own.

For once, he wasn't remotely tempted to push him away.

~

Up until the very last second, Jason had been terrified. That he was all wrong, that Cupid and Psyche and all of the gods had made a huge mistake, that this wasn't going to work. Or that the gods had nothing to do with it; if this wasn't something Nico wanted, wasn't something he  _ felt _ , it would have failed. He didn't want anyone's feelings to be manipulated towards him any more than the son of Hades did.

The second the arrow had emerged, he had  _ known _ .

And the second he'd made the spur-of-the-moment decision to make a bolder move, to kiss Nico... Well, that had just kind of confirmed it a little more.

It wasn't like with Piper; it wasn't some grand, cliched thing, either, no sparks flying or love at first kiss or anything like that. This wasn't some sudden leap, wasn't falling in love at the drop of a hat, wasn't even really  _ love _ , not yet, though it definitely had the potential to grow into that, if what Psyche said was true. It was too soon for any of that. But it was strange and comfortable all at once, like settling into something simple, a natural extension of what they were, what they had been. It was definitely different, the taste of Nico's mouth, the sharp angles of his jaw and body, almost every sensory aspect different from what he had come to be familiar with – but it was so  _ easy _ .

He was a little breathless when he pulled away, although he didn't think it had been that long, or that intense. Nico looked like his head was spinning, and Jason smiled at him, bumping his forehead gently against the other demigod's. “Still with me?”

“Shut up, Grace,” he muttered with what sounded like mock irritation, then stretched up to kiss him again.

They stayed like that for a while, enjoying the closeness, this new, fragile thing between them slowly settling into something a little more solid, fear ebbing away. Jason finally made himself pull away, though he kept one hand wrapped around Nico's, fingers intertwined with the other demigod's. “We really should talk about this, you know.”

“You're the one who stopped me,” Nico pointed out pragmatically, sounding a lot more like his usual self, without the anger, the pressure of this 'quest' that hadn't actually been a quest, without any gods hovering around trying to push him one way or another. He sounded lighter, actually; Jason had rarely heard the son of Hades sound quite that content.

Laughing, he nodded, willing to admit that. “Yeah, well, I make bad decisions sometimes. You've clearly seen that.”

Rolling his eyes, Nico let Jason tug him towards the bench Psyche had vacated, sitting down on one end, though he didn't pull his hand away from Jason's. That was reassuring, after how long the other had spent shying away from him every time he touched him. It took trust, he realized now; Nico still hadn't fully trusted him because he'd still thought that, somehow, Jason was going to reject him.

He knew what that felt like, now.

Despite the intention to talk, they both stayed quiet for a moment, looking away from one another, collecting their thoughts. Jason broke the silence first, his question quiet, gentle. “Were you ever going to tell me that you had a crush on me?”

This time, Nico didn't get angry; he just sighed, shaking his head. “I wasn't even able to admit it to myself for a while. I... wasn't exactly letting myself feel, or at least, not  _ acknowledging _ that I was. It was safer that way.” He shot Jason a look, raising an eyebrow. “Were you ever going to tell  _ me _ ?”

Jason laughed again, sheepish. “I didn't exactly recognize it. Go on, make fun of how dense I am, get it out there now, I know you're going to,” he added with a sidelong smile, one that grew as he saw Nico suppress a smile in return.

“Wouldn't dream of it.” He could hear the faint thread of laughter in the other demigod's voice, though, and it warmed him.

There were other things to address, though, more serious things, and Jason wanted to be sure they were out in the open. They had both spent enough time being dishonest with themselves, even if it was technically by accident. “... this isn't going to change things with me and Piper; the way our relationship works now, the way I feel about her, all of that.”

Nico nodded; he might not really  _ get _ it, but he of all people would make an effort to be understanding. “And it's not going to change the fact that I'm still not good with people, or make it any easier to be open with ones I don't know or trust.”

Jason nodded in return; he could handle that. Getting Nico to open up this much had been a slow process, and he didn't expect anything otherwise just because  _ this _ had changed. But he would be there for the other the whole way, and maybe, eventually, he'd be able to completely draw the son of Hades out of the shadows. “Okay.” Squeezing Nico's hand, he looked at the other, expression soft. “I think I can work with that.”

Nico met his gaze, steady and even, for once no hint of darkness there. “Okay.” His hand tightened around Jason' slightly in return, and he flashed the other another small smile. “Then let's go home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it, folks! The big deal, the climax of the story, the part where I smoosh them together and go 'NOW KISS ALREADY.'
> 
> More Psyche in this one, being awesome, as she is one of my favorite mythological figures. 
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who has read and commented thus far; I appreciate your support! Now onward to the epilogue, and enjoy a happy ending.


	7. Epilogue

They ended up telling all the rest of the seven almost immediately, mostly because the second they shadow-traveled back into Camp Half-Blood, Hazel was on them, worried sick from the fact that they had been trying to Iris-message the two of them for most of the last three days to let them know that Percy had reverted back to normal. It would have been difficult to hide the fact that they were still holding hands, that Nico didn't let go once they had emerged from the shadows, so they didn't try to; Hazel was the person he trusted most, after all, the first one he would want to know.

She regarded them with level eyes, and nodded her acceptance, although the look she gave Jason promised a dire fate if he were to do anything to put her brother through anything like this again.

Frank seemed vaguely ill at ease, but just wished them both luck; Annabeth rolled her eyes and told Nico she didn't care, as long as she didn't get word of her boyfriend singing love ballads at him again. Leo burst out laughing and immediately started coming up with nicknames for the two of them, most of them a lot less than flattering; Percy still just seemed mostly confused from the effect of Cupid's magic on him, and seemed more concerned with apologizing to Nico about his behavior than with this new development in his and Jason's relationship.

Piper just smiled and kissed Nico on the cheek, murmuring something about how at least Cupid hadn't sent Himeros after them to test them, how they'd never have been able to handle that. Of all of them, she seemed to understand it the most, but then, she was a child of Aphrodite; she knew all the varied forms that love could take.

It was easier than Nico had expected it to be, though he had still hung on grimly to Jason's hand the entire time, tense and still partly fearful, waiting for something to go wrong. He only relaxed when the conversations were all over and they were left alone again, sitting on the floor inside of the Zeus cabin, watching Piper's retreating back.

Jason was quiet for a moment, then glanced over at him, a hint of mischief in his eyes. “So I know we missed it this year, but depending on how things go, maybe next February, you can be my-- “

Nico silenced him with a kiss, then pulled back with a rueful smile. “Do me a favor, Jason; don't  _ever_ mention Valentine's Day  _again_ .”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again everyone for sticking with me! Love in all its forms to all of you, and you can catch me on tumblr to chat, drop me messages, or send me more prompts for these two little goobers at petvampire.tumblr.com
> 
> A note on the god mentioned in this chapter: Himeros is the only Erote I didn't bring up in this particular story, the god of lust and sexual desire. xD For obvious reasons, that kind of would have thrown off the feelings train. ANOTHER TIME.


End file.
